When you have only two chickens, as we do now, the pecking order isn’t very complicated. But that doesn’t make it any less real.
Our Rhode Island Reds, Nellie and Hope, are the same age, the same size and two slightly different shades of the same color. They arrived at our house as pullets on the same day in 2013, in the same shipment from the same hatchery.
But despite such similarities, hens being hens, someone has to be “in charge,” at least ostensibly. That someone is Nellie, although Hope's rebelliousness kicks in from time to time.
A case in point. For some reason, Nellie decided recently that she doesn’t like to eat from my hand anymore. She’ll wolf down whatever Liz holds out for her, but she snubs me. Hope, though, enjoys pecking at any palm full of pellets, regardless of who happens to be at the other end.
So there I was one day this week, leaning low over the pen to let the hens (or hen) reach my open hand. Predictably, Nellie stood by and watched while Hope chowed down on the pellets I was holding. After a couple minutes of this, Nellie reached into my palm, grabbed one pellet and swallowed it. She then quickly turned aside and gave Hope a sudden (but harmless) peck of disapproval.
Nellie’s authoritarian message seemed clear: I’m the boss, and if I don’t want something, you shouldn’t either. But that probably won't deter Hope the next time around.
Our Rhode Island Reds, Nellie and Hope, are the same age, the same size and two slightly different shades of the same color. They arrived at our house as pullets on the same day in 2013, in the same shipment from the same hatchery.
But despite such similarities, hens being hens, someone has to be “in charge,” at least ostensibly. That someone is Nellie, although Hope's rebelliousness kicks in from time to time.
A case in point. For some reason, Nellie decided recently that she doesn’t like to eat from my hand anymore. She’ll wolf down whatever Liz holds out for her, but she snubs me. Hope, though, enjoys pecking at any palm full of pellets, regardless of who happens to be at the other end.
So there I was one day this week, leaning low over the pen to let the hens (or hen) reach my open hand. Predictably, Nellie stood by and watched while Hope chowed down on the pellets I was holding. After a couple minutes of this, Nellie reached into my palm, grabbed one pellet and swallowed it. She then quickly turned aside and gave Hope a sudden (but harmless) peck of disapproval.
Nellie’s authoritarian message seemed clear: I’m the boss, and if I don’t want something, you shouldn’t either. But that probably won't deter Hope the next time around.
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