Backyard Chickens by Dave Ingham

Author:Dave Ingham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Allen & Unwin
Published: 2016-10-10T04:00:00+00:00

A brooder and heater don’t have to be elaborate; a box and lamp will do. These chicks are huddling and showing signs of feeling a bit cool.

The pecking order

You have heard of the concept of a pecking order, right? (You know, where the CEO gets the corner office with the view and they put IT in the basement. ‘No, no, we really value IT, it’s just that there’s nowhere else for you to go and the basement is closer to your cable-connecty-thingies.’)

Well, unsurprisingly, the term comes from chickens, who have a very well established order from Top Hen down to Nerd Bird. As with a corporate environment, the most Senior Hen occupies the highest perch and the Nerd Bird the lowest – how cool is that? Same as at the office!

Chickens, however, have nothing to aspire to because, once the pecking order is set, it doesn’t change unless the higher bird dies or is removed. The other advantage of being Top Hen is you get first dibs on the food, water and pretty much anything else you want. The only time I have seen this dynamic broken is when a broody hen is mothering her chicks – no one takes on Tuff Mummy and comes out on top.

When you introduce new birds to a flock there will always be a bit of argy bargy to decide where the new hens fit in the pecking order. I have watched this many times and it’s exactly the same as two men squaring off at each other in the pub. They stand up and try to make themselves look as tall and strong as possible. They puff their chests and chins out. They strut around.

There is nothing wrong with this behaviour (in chickens, that is) and it usually sorts itself out in a matter of an hour to a day, depending on the size of your flock and assuming this interaction doesn’t turn into bullying. Once it’s stopped you have your pecking order re-established.

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