Pecking Order

The pecking order has been established. That didn't take long. I am assuming by the length/presence of tail feathers I know who is on top and who is on bottom.

The lady in the top right corner - pretty sure she is in control. I didn't notice the tail feather feature right away. However, yesterday after work I saw the pecking order in action. I was tossing feed pellets around the yard and if one of the other two hens got in the way, Miss Thang would just yank out a feather with her beak. This made me very upset. I wanted to yell and shoo her away, but I refrained. I guess that is just how some things work. Of course, I will be keeping an eye on the situation. According to some sources the pecking order can get brutal and may require an intervention.

No eggs yet, but for now I am happy to report I still have all 3 hens.
(Even though one of them is a *****).

I hope she knows this kind of behavior will be taken into consideration when getting a name.