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Chicken pecking orders can be brutal. We had multiple flocks for eggs when I was growing up, and they were usually placid but some hens were so aggressive that
by jimmux 8y ago
Chicken pecking orders can be brutal.
We had multiple flocks for eggs when I was growing up, and they were usually placid but some hens were so aggressive that I wish we had made dinner of them.
One in particular systematically pecked to death every other hen, working down the pecking order until it was the only one left. She was eventually taken out by a fox. We raised them all together from chicks, so I have no explanation for it. As the Simpsons put it, some animals are just jerks.
- daveslash 8y agoNone of our chickens were taken out by a fox. However, we had a half-dozen ducks taken out by a fox. The ducks had an enclosed area that they were allowed to roam in during the day, but for their safety they needed to be put back in their duck-house at night. I was around 14 and it was my chore to ensure that the ducks were back in their duck-house. One night, around 4:30pm (after the sun had been down for half-an-hour), I realized that I had forgotten to put the ducks in and I ran outside. 6 out of 7 ducks had already been gotten. It's something that still bothers me when I think about it, but it's an experience that taught me to take responsibility seriously. I would say "Sorry for your [chicken] loss", but it sounds like she was, indeed, a jerk.
- saghm 8y ago> One in particular systematically pecked to death every other hen, working down the pecking order until it was the only one left. Is this where the term "pecking order" comes from? It seems particularly apt in this case.
- will_pseudonym 8y agoYes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecking_order https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecking_order
- brazzy 8y agoIt's mentioned in the first paragraph of TFA.
- mirimir 8y agoWas that "down the pecking order" or "up the pecking order"? Wouldn't it have started with the weakest one?
- gadders 8y agoSince we've had a rooster, there is a lot less fighting going on, even when we introduce new birds to the flock. He really does keep the peace between all the hens.