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Strange behaviour after losing princess layer

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This may be perfectly normal but never having lost a girl before I'm confused!

 

The very day princess layer died the following has been happening, usually all the girls pop out of the cube within minutes of each other, always in the same order with princess layer squeezing past whoever is hanging around the ladder(she was my bestest girl but the lowest ranking lady) I usually let them out around 7am

 

Well since Monday morning Alana comes out as per usual first and the other two hang back for ages, usually around an hour or so.....this morning, Barbara came out after half an hour but had gone back in and Betty boo is yet to come out, she is just resting on the roosting bars...they all seem fine in themselves.

 

 

I don't want to associate human emotions to the girls but could they be grieving/missing princess or is this a normal process?

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Could it be to do with the weather?

 

I ask because my Pekins only got up for a very short time yesterday morning and then went back to bed (it was raining quite hard and even though the run is covered the rain blows in from the side along about half of it).

 

And this morning I went to let the big girls out after the Pekins had already been up for half an hour (the Pekins were snuggled together on the highest perch in the run looking like they were snoozing again!), and the Wyandottes weren't ready to come out - not sure if they were actually awake yet. Usually they're clamouring to get out the second the door is opened.

 

So maybe it's just the rubbish weather and darker mornings? Although I'm sure even if they're not actually grieving for Princess Layer they will have noticed something is different and that the pecking order has changed.

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Could be the dull weather, they are all getting old girls now. Barbara is loosing feathers all over the place so it could be the start if a moult for her.....I have never had a girl going through a moult yet..strange.....I will be keeping a close eye on my remaining three girls.

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I think yes..They are missing her. I have noticed this or similar when I have lost a girl.I think it takes a couple of days for them to settle.

Princess might have been bottom but she was there and I think the pecking order will be confused as you now have a new bottom chick. "Ooops, word censored!"ody will want to be bottom chick . :roll:

I might be wrong of course as I am sure they are more like humans than we give them credit for ..Mine talk to me and pass on gossip all the time . :lol:

 

Jackie x

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Haha lee I did tell them I didn't want any moping around but it's a bit of a contradiction when the tears are rolling. Miss my girlie so much!

I guessed that was the case, they have been together from day one of coming home so must seem strange for them...and she was such a diva!

I am having a few more girls when I do the next BHWT rehoming but want to give them a chance to get over this before giving them more trauma

 

And again jackian I agree, none of them want to be at the bottom but I think it will be my other fav girl Barbara, she is the funniest little thing, as soon as I go to close the cube door at night, she keeps popping out to say hello...a proper night owl that one!!

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My girls have frequently shown grief type behaviour after one of the flock dies, if I have taken a girl to the vet to be PTS then often Mogwai will call for the missing girl at bedtime for a couple of days.

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I've definitely noticed a change in their behaviour when we lose one of the group. When the top girl died last year the second-in-command yelled on and off all afternoon! I'm not sure if that was declaring herself the new leader or because she was sad at losing her friend.

And when our little Pekin cockerel died a few weeks ago both the broodies immediately surfaced and stopped being broody. They haven't started laying again but haven't gone back to the nest either. His Pekin wife was especially upset and seem lost just wandering around for a few days but has latched onto the bantam (all other girls are big) and seems happier now.

They seem to adapt eventually to the change in circumstances.

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I think chickens do greive in their own way. I had two little Nankin bantams that went everywhere together. Onw of them diex and the remaining one would go and look for her when thwy were let out to fr even though she lived with several other hens. It took a week or so before she stopped looking

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