Behaviour query

[chris]

Hi folks,

Just watched one of my chooks lay an egg, and whilst it was still wet she stood up, tucked her head underneath herself, and started rubbing her face all over the wet egg?

This carried on until she did a somersault(spelling?) - unphased by this carried on rubbing her face over the egg.

Stood up, pushed the egg around the nestbox, and then started to lightly peck the egg.. Followed then by so,e broody behaviour- putting some nestbox contents on her back (despite already being covered from her little performance)

Anyone seen this sort of behaviour before?

I started to film it, but she must have been camera shy as she stopped doing the face rubbing as soon as I started to film.

Funny to watch anyway

[kathyd]

That sounds very weird! Lol . I wonder if it's some sort of imprinting, like you read about when people hatch baby dragons in those science fantasy books... (yeah yeah I know, senility setting in a few years before planned ). And why do they throw bits of straw and stuff on their backs when they're broody? My broody is doing that, every time I lift her out of the coop and take her outside she starts throwing bits of dead grass at herself... most odd. Again, I wonder if it's so the babies recognise the smell when they hatch or something, and know who mummy is?

[Nicos]

I've never seen that either- nor the shavings on their backs.

Just how inbred are your chooks????

...sorry- it WOULD happen to you chris wouldn't it?????

[VirginVegGrower]

I've never seen that either- nor the shavings on their backs.

Just how inbred are your chooks????

...sorry- it WOULD happen to you chris wouldn't it?????

Don't ask him about the Velcro on his wellies

[marchogaeth]

Unless I've misunderstood, is she perhaps marking her egg so that other birds don't take it over?

Just to add, our pet magpie has laid three eggs in the last three days and is so proud of herself she hasn't eaten them - a first!

[petal]

a pet magpie? wow- my daughter wants a pet crow- !!!!!!!
chucking straw and shavings behind their back is normal- I remember seeing an exbatt doing this- it must be nesting behaviour- rubbing its face- wierd.......

[Two_Sheds]

our pet magpie

That is SO cool.

We met another mad lady (!) who had a pet crow, he was awesome. Named Mike.






mike-crow
micro