4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Old Speckled Hen]

Can anybody tell me why one of my hens is picking up fallen leaves and tossing them on her back?

She's been doing it after she laid this morning.

[Eggstatic!]

My Pepperpot does this, apparently some do this just before or after they lay!

[Old Speckled Hen]

Ahhh

Mine's a Pepperpot too.

Thanks

[keyhole kate]

I think I saw this question asked before and I am

pretty sure someone said they were gathering nesting

stuff

[Egluntyne]

She thinks she is building a nest.

[dancing cloud]

My lot do this with leaves and with the shredded paper in their nestbox. Maybe it's a deep instinct to hide themselves while nesting going back to when chickens were jungle fowl?

 

Or maybe it's just something to do whilst waiting for the egg to arrive?

[pistachio]

that's so cute I'll look out for such behaviour in my 3 Mrs Pepperpots

[mostin]

My Priscilla, who's a Warren does that. It's so cute. it's always just after she's layed. Like the others say it's a nesting instinct thing. I think Prissy would end up looking like a walking compost heat if my other girls didn't nick the bits off her back when she wasn't looking