Chances are, you’ve heard of chicken pecking order. But what is it, really? And why do chickens need it?
Chickens need leadership and order just like civilized human beings. And thus, the pecking order is born. Pecking order creates a calm, organized flock, and ensures the safety of the birds in it.
Understanding pecking order is essential when you’re raising a backyard flock. It will help you identify and mitigate chicken bullying, guide you when introducing chicks to a new flock, and keep internal skirmishes to a minimum.
What Is Chicken Pecking Order?
When it comes to pecking order, it’s helpful to imagine an analogy we can understand: the purpose of government.
Imagine the United States operating without the leadership of a President and Vice President, the House and Senate, or the Supreme Court. Or, imagine England trying to survive without a Prime Minister and House of Commons.
Without any kind of leadership to create and enforce rules, and make decisions for the entire group, society disintegrates. Chaos and anarchy ensues. And the relatively safe and comfortable existence we have falls apart.
It’s a dramatic analogy, but it’s no different for chickens, baboons, or wolves…all who exist within a “pecking order” type social hierarchy.
Pecking Order Benefits
As you might have guessed, pecking order is determined by pecking. In short, the stronger, more assertive/aggressive birds in the flock bully the weaker, more submissive members by pecking them with their beaks. They rise to the top of the ladder, and every weaker bird is one rung down below them.
Chicken pecking order determines everything within the flock, such as who gets:
- First access to the best food
- Prime dust bathing areas
- The best nesting boxes
- Favorite roosting spots
- First access to water
So, the strongest chickens get the best access to everything. Chickens further down in the hierarchy have to wait their turn and get whatever’s left. While to us it may seem cruel, pecking order is what helps ensure the survival of the flock. The strongest, fittest birds get the most food and safest roost, so they’re most likely to survive.
Pecking Order Behavior
If you have an established flock, you’ve likely already seen signs of chicken pecking order.
- Roosters fighting with each other.
- One hen running up and bumping chests with another hen.
- The top rooster or hen clucking to the others to come eat when he/she has found something tasty while foraging.
- Younger chicks or pullets pulling feathers from a flock mate, or fluffing their feathers at someone else.
- Chickens pushing their flock mates out of the way during feeding time.
- One rooster or hen chasing down another.
- One hen pushing another hen out of a favorite nesting box.
How Chickens Assert Pecking Order
Pecking order starts very early in a chick’s life, typically on day 3 or 4. Even tiny baby chicks in the brooder will start bumping chests, jostling their flock mates, and pushing others out of the way of the feeder so they can eat first. Chickens establish their social order by the sixth week of life.
In an established flock, there are three types of hierarchies:
- Rooster to rooster
- Hens to hens
- Rooster to hen
So if you have one rooster in your flock, that rooster is typically going to be at the top of the pecking order. In flocks without a rooster, the strongest or most dominant hen will step in and fill the role of Commander In Chief.
If you have a flock with many hens and several roosters, older, more dominant hens might be ranked higher than some of the roosters. That’s the case in our flock.
Meet Our Flock’s Leadership Team
We currently have three roosters, 26 hens, and 12 chicks (with another broody hen about to increase this number).
Our top Roo is Christopher, a laid-back Brahma so large he could be a small turkey. Although Christopher is so chill he reminds me of a California surfer, he’s definitely the Alpha and has no trouble defending his title when he has to.
Christopher’s second-in-command, his Beta, is Tito, a Bantam rooster so small Christopher could step on him and not bat an eye. Although Tito is tiny, don’t tell him that. Much like a Chihuahua, Tito refuses to believe he’s any smaller than Chris. In his eyes, he’s a giant rooster with the crow to prove it.
Although watching him trying to mate with the hens is comical (and, a little sad to be honest,) Tito works hard at being Beta and doesn’t challenge Christopher.
Finally, we have Louis. This poor boy is so far down the pecking order ladder that the Mamas have regulated him to “babysitter” for this year’s chicks. He’s so timid that I could only snatch a quick picture of him in the corner of the barn.
Although he’s timid around me, he’s actually a great babysitter for the chicks. He’s always with one of the Mamas, keeping a lookout for predators and helping them find food. I’ve even seen the mothers leave some of their chicks with him and go to another part of the farm…and the chicks have no problem with staying with him. It’s pretty remarkable.
I know roosters have somewhat of a sketchy reputation, but I LOVE ours. They bring order to the flock, they’re on the lookout 24/7 for danger, and they have far more personality than most of the hens. I can’t imagine our flock without them.
The Role of the Alpha
It doesn’t matter if your flock’s Alpha is a rooster or hen. Whoever is top dog has an important job to do.
The flock’s Alpha is responsible for the entire flock’s safety. So, he or she is always on the lookout for predators. They will squawk whenever they sense danger, warning the others to get to safety.
Another important job is finding treats during foraging. If your Alpha is a rooster, he’ll typically offer up a choice find to his ladies. If his “special lady” is close by, she’ll always get first pick of anything he finds.
Chicken Breed and Pecking Order
As you might have guessed, physical strength plays a huge role in pecking order. But so does personality. And this is where maintaining harmony within a mixed flock can get a bit tricky.
Some breeds are more assertive than others. Some typically assertive breeds include:
- Rhode Island Red
- New Hampshire
- Malay
There are also some really docile breeds. Typically docile breeds include:
- Silkies
- Orpingtons
- Polish
- Cochin
So, this means that when you have a mixed flock of assertive and docile breeds, some bullying is probably going to happen. Rhode Island Reds will pick on the Orpingtons, the Malay will peck at the Polish’s tophat, and everyone might gang up on the Silkies.
Most people, myself included, have a mixed flock. We have Rhode Island Reds in the same flock as docile Orpingtons, Cochins, and Silkies. Most of the time, everyone does fine. But breed characteristics are definitely something to consider when you’re building and managing a flock.
Pecking Order Problems
Although the pecking order is an essential system for chicken survival, it can cause all hell to break loose sometimes. Occasionally, the entire hierarchy will get shaken up and reshuffled. This can cause a lot of fighting, and even death.
So, what causes pecking order problems?
Death
The death of any bird in the flock causes the entire hierarchy to reshuffle, since that bird no longer holds a place in the ladder. If the Alpha dies, the Beta will typically step in and take charge of the flock.
This happened in our flock last fall. Back then, we had a gorgeous Alpha rooster named Bart. Tragically, coyotes killed him while he was defending the flock. Christopher, his Beta, became Alpha and Tito became Beta.
Illness or Injury
Sick or injured birds are always bumped down to the lowest position in the flock, if they’re not killed outright.
Chickens are prey animals, which means they will hide an illness or injury until they’re on death’s door. They do this to stay safe from predators, but also to stay safe from their flock mates.
If the flock sees that one of their own is injured, they’ll start pecking at the wound. This is especially true with bleeding wounds. The sight of blood can cause a cannibalistic attack from flock mates.
The flock ignores sick birds at best, and kills them at worst. Yes it’s cruel, but flock survival is at play here. Sick or injured birds are a threat to the entire group. The entire hierarchy reshuffles when they’re dead.
This is why it’s so important to remove a sick or injured bird from the flock, and put them in sick bay until they’re recovered.
Adding New Chickens to the Flock
This one is a doozy. Adding new chickens to an existing flock can cause serious chaos if you don’t do it right.
New chickens are a threat to the entire flock’s hierarchy. Adding chicks haphazardly to a flock upsets the system, and serious bullying can ensue. You should always gradually add new chickens to the flock. See the linked article in the previous paragraph for more detailed information.
How to Prevent Pecking Order Problems
Most of the time, pecking order issues will work themselves out without any interference on your part. Take these steps to keep the fighting and bullying to a minimum.
Have a Healthy Rooster-to-Hen Ratio
Roosters will fight, sometimes violently, when there are not enough hens to go around. So, it’s important to get the ratio right to maintain harmony.
Aim for a ratio of 10-1, so 10 hens per rooster. Flocks with less than 6 hens should not have a rooster at all. The roosters will overmate the hens and they’ll suffer as a result.
Have Enough Coop and Run Space
Violence and bullying increase when chickens are cramped and cranky. So make sure your chickens have the bare minimum of 4 square feet per bird, and a bare minimum of 8 inches of roost bar per bird. And keep in mind this is the absolute minimum…more is always better.
If you have multiple roosters, consider double the amount of floor space to maintain harmony.
Have Extra Feed and Water Stations
Keep the jostling and fighting to a minimum by setting out extra feed and water stations so that everyone has room. And, don’t put feed and water in a corner, as this limits the amount of available space for eating and drinking.
Create Hiding Spots
If you keep your chickens in the coop or run during the day, it’s important to create hiding spots so that lower-ranked members can get away and hide if they need to.
And, these don’t have to be fancy! Prop up an old door horizontally against the wall, create a hiding hold with a couple of hale bales or old pallets…you get the picture. Create places where weaker or submissive chickens can go to hide from any bullying going on in the group.
Last Word
Chicken pecking order might sound cruel on the surface, and in many ways it is. However, the social hierarchy exists to ensure the survival of the entire flock. It helps create order within the group, and ensures that everyone knows their place in the pack.
I’d love to hear back from you. Who’s the Alpha in your flock?