Single hen

[OwenLdn]

Hey everyone!

 

Another hen question- I hope you don't mind!

 

I just wondered if anyone could give me some help!

 

My 4 hens have settled in well (a little bit of loose poos- but my Bokashi Bran arrived yesterday so hopefully will help sort it out). The Light Sussex hen is definitely top bird and I know the hens are probably at this moment trying to establish some hierarchy between them- but I wondered once this had been sorted out what sort of behaviour should I expect between the birds.

 

Will the dominant hen always exert herself as top with pecks to others? Or after a while they all get on ok?

 

I just wondered what to expect- as when the Silkie or one of the lower birds is feeding the Light Sussex sometimes will make a bluff threat or actually drive the hen off the grub holder. The hens always return after a few minutes so its not that they aren’t able to eat but I wondered if this was still part of the establishing of the heirachy or just the Sussex doing what a top bird does?

 

Thanks everyone!

Owen

[Daphne]

Thats all perfectly normal. My top hen hardly ever pecks anybody, tho numbers 2 and 3 in the chain do from time to time. After a while everybody knows their place, minor excitements cause minor scuffles (yesterday I spotted one of my pullets treading another girl!) but most of the time its all very harmless. Just carry on keeping an eye out that your silkie is OK/feeds OK.

[fluffyknickers]

I have had mine a week now and Peppa the was really bullying Nugget the and I took advise from here (as usual) and put out another food station so she could eat in relative peace. Or you could put out three and then the top chick wouldnt be able to man three stations.

 

She is now established as top of the clucks but the bullying has settled down a little bit although they have the odd squark and peck if for example finds a worm and then will come and take it off her and peck her til she leaves it.

 

Funny thing is the top chook actually doesnt bother too much with the other called Eggy.

 

I always love the underdog and have to say I do cuddle Nugget a lot and also take her out the run and leave the other two in and find her some slugs and worms of her very own . i dont know if its just her temperament or the breed or because she is lowest in the pecking order but she is a lot friendlier than the two .

 

[Ain't Nobody Here]

My girls obviously haven't read the manual They were all brought up together in a large flock which I suppose helps, but we've never had any kind of hierarchy. They all seem to be equal .

 

Of course, if (when ) I get some new girls, this may well change .

[mostin]

up until a couple of weeks ago when I had three girls, I couldn't have even told you who the boss hen was. Now the newbies have arrived it's all changed . It's very obvious now exactly what order everybody is in, but the quarrelling gets less every day and hopefully soon we will be back to the state where I can't really tell who's in charge anymore .

[Egluntyne]

Even if it isn't obvious who the top hen is to us mere mortals....the hens will know exactly what the echelons of command are.

 

All is harmonious as a rule because of this.

 

When they come into lay, stop laying, become ill or new hens are introduced, you notice the changes.