sapphichicks Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 I have 6 ex batts. Tonight they were behaving oddly before going into cube to roost. One was already in as she is bottom of pecking order so always goes first but the others would not go in they hung around at bottom of ladder which is really unusual. I looked in and saw a clump of hay from their nesting box was on roost and pushed it out, then they started going in and all locked up safely. If one was in why the reluctance to follow? Also they did not lay one egg today and yesterday I had 5. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chicken bark Posted March 1, 2011 Share Posted March 1, 2011 Maybe they thought the lump of hay was an interloper? DIfficult to know what is normal and what is not with hens. Sometimes they are reluctant to go to bed if there is mites in the house. However my ducks won't come out of their house if they can see the watering can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapphichicks Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Thanks chickenbark. I suppose it must have been the hay. But they are such creatures of habit I had never observed this behaviour before. Also its very cold at the moment and I clean out my house every few days, it gets hosed and scrubbed so I hope no mites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plum Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 Could she have been broody and was nesting and wouldn't let the others in Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sapphichicks Posted March 2, 2011 Author Share Posted March 2, 2011 Thanks for that but no none of them have ever been broody. I think it must have been the clump of hay. They are all as normal today. But it is good to note their behaviour, it does tell you a lot but in the chook world its not always clear why they do certain things. One of my less attractive Amber Link ex batts lays nearly every day. She cannot jump up ladder into cube as she has no tail feathers so she lays in a small triangular house I have as well as cube. Yesterday she kept on calling me and running up and down the plastic fencing clucking. I could not understand what it was so let them all out into the garden, she ran to my front door and tried to get behind some plant pots. It seemed obvious she wanted to lay an egg so I took her and placed her in the cube, she was in there for about 20 mins but she emerged later with much "I have just laid an egg noise" but no egg! Why she refused to use the coop she normally lays in who knows? Why she stayed so long but did not lay an egg? They are a mystery some times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 I have a hen who from time to time sits on the nest as if she wants to lay an egg, but doesn't produce one. She did it last year for a few weeks, then all of a sudden started laying again. In the last couple of days she's started the same thing again. I don't worry about it too much, she seems well enough in herself, maybe she just likes half an hour of peace and quiet?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevf1 Posted March 2, 2011 Share Posted March 2, 2011 well they are females ... and as a male i'll never understand the female of any specieis but they do make me laugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
