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Single Hen standing guard

post #1 of 4
5/16/12 at 10:03am
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so ive been observing some interesting behavior in my girls recently. i let them roam the yard all day now, i had fenced in an area maybe 500sq ft and let them in there will all day access except when id close up the coop at night which has about 40sq feet or dirt/weed access.. and now im letting them roam the entire yard except some off limits areas that have small plants easy to be stomped. anyways, now that the coop door is open at night until i go close it a bit after its dark so that i know theyre all inside. the same hen stands guard in the coop door every night, and when i close the door to the coop run, she turns around and goes inside in a minute or so. but she stands in the doorway blocking anything else from coming inside. think that is a trait coming out since they know there is a potential danger being opened, and in the absence of a rooster that one of the hens is taking on the protective role in its place?
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post #2 of 4
5/16/12 at 6:25pm

Yes, When a rooster is absent a hen will take over his duties.

Momma to Three Bueatiful girls - six chickens - A fat ol house cat- Two chameleons-Bearded dragon- An

lily the mini schnazer.

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Momma to Three Bueatiful girls - six chickens - A fat ol house cat- Two chameleons-Bearded dragon- An

lily the mini schnazer.

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post #3 of 4
5/17/12 at 2:03am

One of my girls does the same thing and I have the exact same set up and no rooster. She circles the coop after everyone is in and seems to do an inspection and head count. she's the last one up and is def in charge!

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post #4 of 4
5/17/12 at 4:38am

X2 I have a door-guarding hen....although at times they seem to swap duties with no squabble...and my friend with identical door/ladder arrangement has a hen in the door too....

 

Here's another interesting thing---have you noticed how carefully they will inspect the coop before going in.  They're pretty smart about not being caught by a predator....or at least not caught totally unaware.  Perhaps if they have seen a snake/hawk or such they will be more on the alert. 

"Was dich nicht umwirft, macht dich starker"   "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."-Friedrich Nietzsche 
My new tag line...added to the end of every sentence--->  "...... after all, they ARE chickens!!!"

 

Here's a link to my BYC page:  http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chickats-page

Here's a link to my BYC blog of sorts http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/jottings

 

 

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"Was dich nicht umwirft, macht dich starker"   "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger."-Friedrich Nietzsche 
My new tag line...added to the end of every sentence--->  "...... after all, they ARE chickens!!!"

 

Here's a link to my BYC page:  http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/chickats-page

Here's a link to my BYC blog of sorts http://www.backyardchickens.com/a/jottings

 

 

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