Yesterday morning when I was in the run doing the morning chores I decided to separate the three amigos (after five weeks I can’t continue to call them new girls) to the patio area. I thought they could start their day with a top up of food and water, while I am busy, before they retreat to the ladders.
We seem to have reached a strange state of being integrated but yet not quite integrated. They sleep together with no problem, they share the run together with no problem and yet they are not brave enough to go to the patio for food and water.
I had just got the two groups in their separate parts of the run when something started kicking off. To my surprise Emerald and Peaches were fighting. They were really going at it with their ruffs raised and hanging on to each other. It was a real commotion and I tried spraying them with water but they wouldn’t stop. No photos as it was too stressful.
Eventually Peaches ended up standing over Emerald who was forced down in the submissive position. At this point Barley wandered over and stared at the pair of them as if wondering what on earth they were up to.
It seems that Peaches had won this round. I think that as Emerald is getting old and Peaches is second in the pecking order she is making a bid to move up into top position.
We have had Emerald for five years and she was an adult girl when we got her so she could be six to seven years old now. When we got Peaches and Barley they were only four months old so they naturally went in at the bottom. Emerald rose to the top through age and longevity but she has always been a gentle character.
We got Peaches and Barley two weeks after Emerald and Toffee. Emerald now goes to bed first which is probably a sign of her age. As soon as I have given out the bedtime corn she makes her way to the chicken shed, long before the other girls go in. It is natural as a top hen gets older that a younger one may try to move up the ladder. It is hard to see them scrapping though when they have lived side by side in harmony for so many years.
It will be interesting to see if this changes their relationship. Since their battle, yesterday morning, I haven’t seen any other interaction between them. The pecking order is very important matter among any flock.
Click here to see the history of my flock.
I never realized how much goes on with hens.
I think when you have a small flock you get to know them really well and see the interactions. I spend as much time as I can with them so I see most of what is going on.
The pecking order is so important to them and yet Richard asked me what is to be gained in our flock by moving to the top. In our flock there is no gain really but in the wild it would mean getting the best food items and staying in the strongest position and a lot of this now down to instinct.
I haven’t noticed any difference in the behaviour between them since yesterday’s battle. Richard says that’s because it is done and dusted and understood. It probably doesn’t matter if they are in position one or two but what they don’t want is to be at the bottom and that is why integration is so difficult and at times brutal.