Odd behaviour - even for a chook!

[shirlthegirl43]

Wonder if any of you experienced hen-keepers have seen this behaviour...

We lost a hen overnight which doesn't seem to have fazed the other two at all. However, Zeke is being very odd today - she is pulling up long grass that is dried and looks like straw, also digging up long grass roots and throwing these over her own back. I also found some long bits of grass roots in the nest box. Is she maybe going to go broody or should I watch for anything else?

[Nicos]

Strange...but I've just come in from watching 4 of my birds doing something similar...sort of a dustbath but with moss and roots being chucked everywhere..and them lying on their sides and squatting into the damp soil.
I've never seen them have a dust bath before....is that what they normally do??
None of those chooks are laying yet and they were all doing the same thing- in the sunshine, so they can't all be going broody!.
Sounds similar- but not quite the same- I wondered if the sunshine (mmm) was warming up any lice ( not seen any) -or if it's just normal behaviour?

Also.... is dust bathing a sign of lice- or just cos it's fun and preventative ???)

[MaureenHall]

Dust bathing There might have been a bit of dry soil on the roots, even a bit is nice. Yes, they do tend to lay on their sides in dustbaths, first one side, chuck some soil over, wriggle about a bit, then other side and repeat. It's brilliant watching them isn't it
Also.... is dust bathing a sign of lice- or just cos it's fun and preventative ???) Cos it's nice and if there are any lice, the soil/dust dries them up

[Flummery]

Might be nesting behaviour? Only saying this because my friend had a peach-faced love bird that used to throw bits of paper over her back before going in her nest pocket. I think she thought she could transport the bits back to her nest. In fact, she would carefully rip thin spills of paper from newspapers mags and even from books to try and take back with her. Sometimes she tucked them into her tail feathers! So funny to watch.

[Nicos]

Yep...that's what mine were doing now I've seen this....but they were ripping up grass and moss under the gate....from a distance it looked like a fox had got them and they were struggling to stand up

YouTube - Two gorgeous Warren hens dust bathing


It'll be interesting to see if yours does go broody Shirl!

[Flummery]

Watch them with long grass - it can get caught in a big un-mashed lump in the crop.

[Nicos]

Watch them with long grass - it can get caught in a big un-mashed lump in the crop.

Oh - right...thanks- didn't know

It's very short at the moment as we've let the neighbour's cows do a bit of grazing.Well worth knowing for the future though.....thanks!

[shirlthegirl43]

I had read that about long grass but there are some bits of our garden that just can't be mowed or strimmed regularly. In all the years my folks kept hens, we let them free-range over acres of ungrazed, unmowed land with never one case of them getting crop-bound. I have been watching these hens more closely than those we had years ago and notice they usually leave the long grass alone. Zeke is only pulling the dried strands and it is rather funny to watch her. No dust bathing going on in the garden though they do that in the run.

Will watch and see on the broody front. No space for a broody coop and some new hens being introduced after dark tonight so she will get short shrift if she does go broody (she isn't laying at the moment either)

[kirsty b]

Mine occasionally do that, it looks to me as though they are searching for the 'perfect' morsel to eat. Mine cracked me up today, I let them out to range while I was down there for a couple of hours because their run is so horrible and muddy at the mo and they all gathered in the patch of sunlight just inside the shed door and sunbathed. They moved quick enough when I started digging and they realised worms were on the menu.

[Snadger]

I had read that about long grass but there are some bits of our garden that just can't be mowed or strimmed regularly. In all the years my folks kept hens, we let them free-range over acres of ungrazed, unmowed land with never one case of them getting crop-bound. I have been watching these hens more closely than those we had years ago and notice they usually leave the long grass alone. Zeke is only pulling the dried strands and it is rather funny to watch her. No dust bathing going on in the garden though they do that in the run.

Will watch and see on the broody front. No space for a broody coop and some new hens being introduced after dark tonight so she will get short shrift if she does go broody (she isn't laying at the moment either)

Broodies normally keep themselves to themselves for a while before sitting. I was worried that mine was eggbound.
If she isn't laying, doesn't squat when you try to touch her but runs away, keeps herself to herself, her crest isn't red, then I'd keep an eye on her!

[shirlthegirl43]

Broodies normally keep themselves to themselves for a while before sitting. I was worried that mine was eggbound.
If she isn't laying, doesn't squat when you try to touch her but runs away, keeps herself to herself, her crest isn't red, then I'd keep an eye on her!

Her comb is quite red and she was laying (we did have the occasional 3 egg day), if you can get close enough to her she does squat, but not every time. Will wait and see - she seemed more herself tonight. We have introduced 3 'new' hens (they were all together before we bought the first 3) in the dark tonight so tomorrow will be interesting to say the least.

[Nicos]

How's it going out there???

[shirlthegirl43]

I suppose you could term the introduction peaceful really.

New Puff is really bossy and has chased Flymo and Zeke a bit. I think the two black chooks are Australorps but not confirmed yet - they are just a wee bit bigger than the Warrens and seem to match all the descriptions of an Australorp with green/black feathers and big red combs, younger son suggested calling them Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee which might just stick.

A lot more chook chook bok noise than with the three we started with.

Wonder if Flymo will lay today? Not letting them out to free-range for a day or two until the newbies get used to the roosting cupboard!