The pecking order I think is really hard to spot; over the last month since the hens arrived I have been trying to work out who is the boss. I had initially thought Posh was top of the pecking order as at first she seemed the pushy one although I have come to the conclusion that she is the friendliest and most inquisitive, leading us to believe she is top dog by using our non-chicken values.

Each morning when I opened the eglu door I looked to see who the first to start eating is but each day is different. It wasn’t until this afternoon when both Posh and Pecks were sparring that I started to think about their behaviour over the last three weeks.

Sparring

It would appear that now Pecks is more than likely the top bird. Looking back at photographs I’ve taken I've noticed a number of things.

Pecks always likes to perch on the flower pot in the corner, Posh has never done that nor attempts too. There was another occasion when Pecks peck at Posh for no obvious reason and Posh crouched.

Pecks

When you are looking for the dominant hen and you see confusing signals, it's sometimes easier (especially with few hens) to look at submissive behaviour to come to a conclusion.

In our case, Posh is submissive to Pecks so Pecks is dominant. At least, until we introduce another hen!