Pages


Friday, January 22, 2021

The Pecking Order: What Is It and How to Avoid Problems in Your Flock

We’ve all heard the phrase ‘the pecking order’. In our minds eye, we likely see colleagues and co-workers neatly arranged in order of ‘merit’. From the CEO down to the janitor, everyone has a place in the ‘pecking order’. 

The term ‘pecking order’ was first coined in 1921 by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe to describe the hierarchy of flock dynamics and it came into popular usage in the 1930s. 

At times the pecking order can make life extremely difficult for both chickens and chicken keepers! Keep reading to understand exactly what the pecking order is and how you can stop common problems caused because of the pecking order.

5 comments:

  1. In VP Kamala's case it's the "Pecker Order".

    ReplyDelete
  2. When my chicks came in the mail, it only took a couple of days to see they were attacking one. I put it in a separate cage. Later tried to reintegrate but no go. Later we found out he was a rooster and was much smarter than his sisters. He lived the rest of his life free range while varmints got his sisters. He spent his nights on top of the Model A Ford on my front porch.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bought a couple young pullets last fall and tried to put them in with the 2 hens I already had and they promptly got the shit kicked out of them, so I put the pullets into a dog kennel for a couple months until they got big enough to fight the hens off.
      They grew up to be BIG birds, almost twice the size of my laying hens. Guess who rules that roost now.....

      Delete
  3. Ha, I thought is was about peckers until I read it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great article, thanks.
    I have an overabundance of roosters, need to put a few more in the freezer.

    ReplyDelete

All comments are moderated due to spam, drunks and trolls.
Keep 'em civil, coherent, short, and on topic.