4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[lazela]

I've noticed that my girls lay in their order. Gretta (top hen) usually has one waiting when I let them out about 6.30 ish, then between 8 and 10am Florence (middle order hen) produces hers and lastly my special needs chicken, Mable provides egg No 3! I'm waiting for Penny to lay her first and then get into an order/routine so I can see if she fits the pattern. As she is younger than the others she is definitely bottom order hen but doesn't have special needs like Mable!

 

Does anyone else have a laying hierarchy or is it just my chooks?

[Gamebird]

When my chickens finally get to lay eggs I will let you know. The waiting is agony

[Snowy]

Mine don't lay through the day in their pecking order, but they certainly started to lay in that order. Top chook was the oldest and first to lay, bottom chook was the last to start laying.

[FruitandNutCake]

I'm not sure - I think my third chicken Chuck may have laid her first egg today.

 

Usually Bonza lays hers in shed between 9 and 10. Then Dinks lays hers in box in run between 11 and 12.

 

So I was suprised this morning. My car broke down and I walked back home to pone RAC. thought I'd have a quick look in shed, and there was an egg in Bonza's corner, but not quite in her usual "spot". when I picked up the egg it was stone cold, so must have been layed about 6 am, just after letting them out of their bedroom.

 

Looking closer at it, it is a different shade of skin colour. Bonza's is creamy/ivory skin coloured and smooth. Dinks is rough and a browner skin coloured with brown freckles. This new one is a pinkier flesh coloured

 

I guess if Bonza lays an egg in her usual spot, I'll know for sure - but what if it's her day off

 

I'm not sure they have a pecking order - Bonza is more confident, but they all seem to be equal Is this normal???

[FruitandNutCake]

Maybe I was being over optimistic - both eggs today are darker than usual - I guess that means the egg colour changes depending on what they eat? I don't think any of my chickens are dominant - I'll have to watch them more

[superjules]

I agree with Snowy about the order they start laying determines the pecking order.

 

My top chook normally lays hers before they are let out in the morning. After that it does kind of follow the pecking order, although my pekin seems exempt from this as she has been known to lay her egg at 7pm before now.

[lazela]

Penny laid her first egg today! Yippee!!!!! A 4 egg day and she was the last one to lay her egg. Hers arrived sometime after 2pm. Maybe I just have very civilized and ordered chickens

 

I shall keep a watch on this and see if this is a trend they maintain!

[TAJ]

My one that was 4 weeks older than the others and started laying first is now firmly bottom of the pecking order. Yes mine do lay in pecking order. Rye (bottom hen) got sat on a couple of times whilst in the nesting box when Bella wanted to use it. Now she alsways waits for the other two first - now it can be late afternoon before she lays an egg.

 

Tracy