Why the Poultry Pecking Order is Important

Why the Poultry Pecking Order is Important
by Alexa Lehr | The Pioneer Chicks | July 9, 2024
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A chicken’s social life is quite complex and ever changing. Chickens are smart and can remember many different individuals as well as distinguish other chickens’ feelings, personalities, and social status. Learning how to read your flock’s social interactions will help you raise a healthy, peaceful flock. It all starts with learning why the poultry pecking order is important for chickens! While the pecking order may not be clear-cut and well-defined, if you have a basic understanding of how it works, you will be able to manage your flock’s dynamics and behaviors in a way that results in stress-free birds who are productive and healthy!

What is the Pecking Order?

The pecking order is basically the social hierarchy within a flock of chickens. For a more scientific term, it is often called ‘dominance hierarchy’. Most prey animals who live in herds, flocks, or family groups have a dominance hierarchy.

In a flock of chickens, each flock member has a status within the flock. Think of it like a ladder. The hen at the top of the ladder is called the ‘head hen’. She basically gets whatever she wants, but she is also responsible for keeping the flock safe and peaceful. Head hens are also called dominant hens.

The rest of the hens below the ‘head hen’ each have their place in the pecking order too. Hens that are higher up in the pecking order have more control over the hens lower in the pecking. When you reach the bottom of the pecking order, you will find the subordinate hen, or the hen who has no control over any other flock members.

You can often see the pecking order in play when a dominant hen pecks another hen who is infringing on her space. Then the hen who got pecked will find another hen lower than her to peck, and so on and so forth down the pecking order line.

The pecking order may sound harsh, but it actually allows for the flock to coexist peacefully with each other. Each hen in the flock knows her status in the pecking order. She knows what she can get away with and what her boundaries are.

Knowing what the pecking order is in your flock can help you understand their behavior. To learn more about understanding poultry behavior, I found the book, How to Speak Chicken by Melissa Caughey, to be extremely helpful and informative.

How Chickens Establish the Pecking Order

The pecking order probably got its name by the manner in which it is established. Chickens will peck each other or have minor squabbles while establishing who is highest in the pecking order. Amongst hens, these disputes are usually settled quickly. With roosters, their squabbles can get a little more out of hand, especially amongst roosters who have not been raised together.

The pecking order starts as soon as a group of chicks is together. As the chicks grow, they bicker and peck amongst each other to establish where each bird is at in the pecking order. A dominant female chick will be the boldest and bravest in the brooder and likewise for a dominant male chick.

This establishment does not generally get too out of hand and is usually peacefully settled by the time the chicks are fully feathered. The dominant female chick will more than likely end up being head hen of the flock. This established pecking order will last for a lifetime unless something occurs to disrupt the established pecking order.

Even when a head hen gets old, her status is still respected. She may not even get picked on despite her age and weaknesses. Some members of the flock simply do not care about where they are at in the pecking order. As long as they get food, water, and protection, they are happy with peacefully coexisting within the flock.

Factors in the Pecking Order

What makes one chick more dominant than the other? A bird’s gender, age, breed, size, and personality can all play a role in where it is at in the pecking order.

Gender:

Within a mixed flock of hens and roosters, each gender has it’s own pecking order. The roosters are outside of the hens’ pecking order and the hens do not fall under the rooster’s pecking order.

If a flock has just one rooster, that rooster will take over the responsibility of protecting the flock and keeping peace within the flock. However, there will still be a head hen and a pecking order amongst the hens. A rooster will often pick a favorite hen (or hens) from the flock to shower his attentions on. He usually chooses hens lower on the pecking order since they don’t have the confidence to stand up against him.

If a flock has several roosters, there will be two separate pecking orders, one amongst the hens and one amongst the roosters. There will be a head hen and a head rooster. These two birds control the flock. Sometimes another subordinate rooster will want to become head rooster, and that’s when fights occur.

These gender based pecking orders are established right in the brooder, within the first few weeks of a chick’s life. That’s why young cockerels who grow up together can often coexist peacefully as adults.

Age:

Age comes into play when you combine two different age groups of chicks or when you integrate young birds into an older flock. In general, the young chickens will start off at the bottom of the pecking order.

In the case with different age chicks, as the chicks grow some of the younger chicks may eventually rise higher in the pecking order. Even young birds who get integrated into an older flock can still work their way higher up in the pecking order. However, I have found that a young bird can rarely become higher than a head hen who is in an already established flock.

Age only seems to play a small factor in where a chicken is at in the pecking order. It is most significant when when different age groups of chickens are being introduced to each other.

Breed & Personality:

A chicken’s breed can actually play a big role in where it is at in the pecking order. Thanks to years of selective breeding, we now have many different breeds of chickens, each with their own characteristics and personalities. Many homestead flocks are composed of several different breeds of chickens.

In a mixed flock, you will often be able to tell what breeds are dominant since those hens will be at the top of the pecking order. Breeds with docile, friendly temperaments tend to be lower in the pecking order. I have also noticed that light breeds tend to rank themselves higher in the pecking order than heavy breeds.

The personality of an individual bird within a breed can also affect its pecking order status. Some birds are just more confident and bossy than others. There have even been studies done how the different comb types affect where a chicken is at in the pecking order. Birds with larger, brighter combs tend to be more dominant and assertive.

Size:

Size kind of goes along with age, however, some birds never outgrow their size! For example, within a mixed flock of bantams and large fowl there will always be a size difference. However, a flock of large fowl or standard size chickens can still have size differences too due to all the different breeds of chickens.

Size does not seem to have a significant impact on where a chicken is at in the pecking order, especially if all the birds where raised together as chicks. When integrating bantams into a large fowl flock, the bantams may be confident enough to rise in the pecking order and even be over some of the larger chickens in the flock. However, small birds can still be subject to bullying no matter how bold of a personality they have.

Intelligence:

It may come as surprise to you that intelligence plays a role in establishing the pecking order! Some chickens are just smarter than others. I have even found that certain breeds can problem solve and seem to think more than other breeds.

When establishing the pecking order, a chicken will size up other members in the flock. They can compare their own abilities and experiences against those of the other flock members. They then use that knowledge to make a decision on whether they should challenge a flock member for a higher status in the pecking order.

Flock Size:

The social stability of a flock is influenced by its size. In the wild, flocks would be small, with only up to 20 members per flock. This smaller number allowed each chicken to recognize and remember other members in the flock. A unified flock will be less stressed and will even watch out for the welfare of one another against predators.

This small flock mentality seems to hold true for domestic flocks as well. Large flocks of domestic chickens exhibit more aggression and less stability. Small homestead flocks can build relationships among each other and establish a sound pecking order.

Relationships:

Lastly, relationships within a flock can affect the pecking order. Sometimes a flock will break off into groups, with each group having its own pecking order. However, there will still be an over-arching pecking order that governs the different groups.

Groups often occur when there are chickens of different ages or breeds. Chickens of a certain breed will stick together and likewise for age. Chickens who have been raised together may also stick together within an integrated flock. The relationships between flock members can be strong, and it’s always amazing to see this bond between chickens within a flock!

When it comes to the pecking order, larger groups composed of more dominant individuals will rank over smaller groups or submissive individuals.

Importance of the Pecking Order

The pecking order plays an important role in the well-being of your flock. In the wild, a pecking order would be essential to the survival of the flock. Here are several reasons why the pecking order is so important:

• social structure- The pecking order allows certain members of the flock have specific roles that will benefit the flock.
• safety- A flock that peacefully coexists together means safety for everyone in the flock, this would be especially important in the wild.
• flock dynamics- Having an established social hierarchy results in a peaceful flock that will be less stressed, which in turn promotes good health and productivity.
• food & water competition– Once a pecking order is established, the need for competition diminishes as each bird knows where it ranks.
• roost space- Hens who are higher up in the pecking order get first dibs on roosting space, this often means that more dominant hens get higher roosting spots which would mean better chance of survival in the wild.

Since the pecking order mandates which hens get to eat first, who gets first place in the treat line, and where a chicken sleeps at night, it is important that you consider each of these factors too. Make sure there is adequate feeder and water space for the number of birds you have. Ensure that there is also plenty of roosting space for everyone. Most of all, make sure your chicken coop and enclosure is big enough to accommodate each hen’s bubble space!

With enough space, food, water, roosts, and nesting boxes, the pecking order can remain peaceful and all the flock members can still meet their basic needs.

Managing the Pecking Order

Now for the complicated part: managing the pecking order! The pecking order is not a hard and fast set of rules. Lots of things can disrupt a flock’s pecking order. It’s up to you to manage these disturbances so that they don’t cause stress, division, and chaos within a flock. Here are four common things you may need to manage to keep a peaceful flock:

#1. Integration

The pecking order is the main cause why adding new chickens to an established flock is so tricky! New faces are not always welcome in an already established group of chickens. Not to mention the new chickens have a pecking order of their own that they aren’t any too eager to give up!

Learning how to properly integrate chickens is important for maintaining a peaceful pecking order. Integrating chickens may need to occur due to two reasons: adding new chickens to a flock or returning a chicken to a flock.

Check out Integrating New Chickens into an Established Flock for tips on keeping the peace within the pecking order!

#2. Sickness

Sickness can also cause a disruption in the pecking order. The pecking order exists because each bird is able to hold its own and tell other chickens who is boss. That’s why when chickens get sick, they try to hide their symptoms until it is too late. As soon as chickens see a weakness in another bird, they see a chance to rise higher in the pecking order.

Removing sick or injured chickens from the flock will keep them safe! The pecking order will be momentarily thrown off by the absence of a bird, but that generally settles pretty quickly. If a sick or injured bird recovers, it may need to be re-integrated back into the flock. Its prior position in the pecking order may affect how easily it integrates back into the flock.

#3. Death

Another disruption in the pecking order occurs when a flock member dies. A gap is left in the pecking order that must be filled. Depending on whether that gap was a high spot or a low spot may determine how much of a disruption is causes. If it’s a high spot, then it’s not just as simple as letting the next bird up in line because everyone wants that spot! Since chickens can form relationships and bonds with each other, the death of a closely bonded pair or group can really cause a disturbance.

Generally a flock can work out its differences without any help from you. You may see a few more fights or squabbles, but those should end quickly and without harm. However, if they don’t, you may have to manage the fourth reason why the pecking order gets disturbed: bullies.

#4. Bullies

Bullies can result from any of the three scenarios mentioned above. A bully does not have to be a head hen. A bully can be any hen who decides she wants to hold a grudge against another bird or group of birds.

Depending on the degree of bullying, you may either have to separate the bully or separate the bird being bullied. If there is just one bird being a bully, I would recommend separating it so that it can chill out. Re-integrating a former bully will be a lot easier than integrating a bird who has been bullied.

If you do have a bird who is being bullied by multiple individuals, you may look into reasons why that bird is being bullied. Illness and injury are common reasons why a chicken might get bullied.

Now you know what the poultry pecking order is, why it’s important, how to understand it, and how you can manage it! By observing your flock’s social dynamics, you can learn a lot about the personalities of individual birds, breeds, and even certain varieties within different breeds. Understanding how a flock works can help you better care for chickens on your homestead! A flock with a peaceful pecking order will be less stressed and able to stay healthy and productive.

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