Anyone know what the deal is with my buff hens?

[ManOverBoard]

hey everybody
We've got a one year old buff Orpington we affectionately call 'Big Mamma' we've got previous experience with chickens, but first time doing the whole process on a larger scale. We've got 10 hens, had 1 rooster whom we recently rehomed. We hatched out eggs before we rehomed our boy and bought six ameraucana pullets. ( After culling and rehoming roosters we'll have 20 hens.) It's been 2 weeks since the hens have been on their own, and we're hatching out a few more eggs as we loved the feathering on some of the chicks, but they're all boys. ( Hoping for some hens)

...to get on with it,
we've been gathering eggs as usual, pulling out our eggs from our two buff ladies, For hatching. (Big Mamma and little Mamma) The girls have been recovering from their stint with our old rooster but still laying 6-9 eggs a day.
We've just completed building a new coop for them, we went to move the girls in yesterday and noticed some interesting behavior from our buffs.
In the old coop our big mamma kept getting in her old nest box. We thought she was just going about her laying business so we gave her a few minutes. When she made an outside appearance, we went back to trying to move our girls to their new coop. Big mamma jumped back in to the nesting box. We moved a couple of the others and gave her another min. As there were no new eggs in the nest just the previous three eggs laid by our Australorp girls. Again she made an appearance in the run so we went back to moving girls, she hoped back in the box and started rearranging shavings around herself. After moving everyone else we moved her and the eggs to the new coop/nest box. She moved the eggs around then hopped down and started following us around like a new puppy. She's usually very nice but a little preoccupied as she's our alpha hen, always has been, often refused our rooster. Later when we went to check on everyone and the eggs, two out of three were buried deep in the shavings in the nest box, one on top. Super clingy hen again, more interested in hanging with us than scratching around. Is she getting broody? We've never had a broody hen before.
We've got the last batch of chicks in a mini coop inside the new big coop to get everyone acclimated as they've just feathered out. Big mamma seems to take an interest in them. Hanging out near them pleasantly.

Today the girls made their own decisions about nest locations and made a spot on the floor next to the chicks their new nest spot. Half the girls laid their eggs there the other half in the new nest box we built. No buried eggs. But now both mammas (our buff hens) are laying in the nest box and rearranging the shavings around themselves and placing them on eggs, we've witnessed it.

Our coop has a poly panel roof, and lots of windows. We've made them a screen door and installed a vent in addition to the open door to their run, to give the girls a good breeze as it gets hot all closed up otherwise. It was cool and breezy today, our black Australorp girls were happy going about life as usual, our buffs were panting with their wings out like they were hot. They had perched up in a high corner by the nest box so we moved them down in front of the screen door and water. Big mamma stopped panting, but our little Mamma kept panting and had her rump spasming too. She's been a little bit lower in her egg production lately, but I thought it was simply her recovering from our rooster and focusing on feather growth. But her behavior today worried me. She can't be egg bound as we had a ten egg day today. Both of our buffs are only 1, but from the start have laid big eggs. We're actually wondering if it's not going to fair well for them in the end, as their egg size is what id expect from a 5-6 year old hen. One day we had an egg as big as a duck egg!

Any thoughts, should we be worried about the buffs, any ideas to explain their behavior?

Some pictures for fun...




Thanks everyone for reading through all of this. I kept perusing older posts trying to find some answers and figure the more info the better for figuring out. we're new members and loving BYC!

 

[azygous]

Holding wings away from the body and panting indicates the chicken is feeling overheated. Don't any of the coop windows open for cross ventilation? What is your location, please?

It sounds like the Orpingtons are just getting used to the new coop. It can take a while. Meanwhile, egg production may drop off due to the stress of change.

 

[ManOverBoard]

We have a 12"x12" vent opposite the screen door. Screen door is just hardware cloth.
We're in New England.

 

[ManOverBoard]

U

hey everybody
We've got a one year old buff Orpington we affectionately call 'Big Mamma' we've got previous experience with chickens, but first time doing the whole process on a larger scale. We've got 10 hens, had 1 rooster whom we recently rehomed. We hatched out eggs before we rehomed our boy and bought six ameraucana pullets. ( After culling and rehoming roosters we'll have 20 hens.) It's been 2 weeks since the hens have been on their own, and we're hatching out a few more eggs as we loved the feathering on some of the chicks, but they're all boys. ( Hoping for some hens)

...to get on with it,
we've been gathering eggs as usual, pulling out our eggs from our two buff ladies, For hatching. (Big Mamma and little Mamma) The girls have been recovering from their stint with our old rooster but still laying 6-9 eggs a day.
We've just completed building a new coop for them, we went to move the girls in yesterday and noticed some interesting behavior from our buffs.
In the old coop our big mamma kept getting in her old nest box. We thought she was just going about her laying business so we gave her a few minutes. When she made an outside appearance, we went back to trying to move our girls to their new coop. Big mamma jumped back in to the nesting box. We moved a couple of the others and gave her another min. As there were no new eggs in the nest just the previous three eggs laid by our Australorp girls. Again she made an appearance in the run so we went back to moving girls, she hoped back in the box and started rearranging shavings around herself. After moving everyone else we moved her and the eggs to the new coop/nest box. She moved the eggs around then hopped down and started following us around like a new puppy. She's usually very nice but a little preoccupied as she's our alpha hen, always has been, often refused our rooster. Later when we went to check on everyone and the eggs, two out of three were buried deep in the shavings in the nest box, one on top. Super clingy hen again, more interested in hanging with us than scratching around. Is she getting broody? We've never had a broody hen before.
We've got the last batch of chicks in a mini coop inside the new big coop to get everyone acclimated as they've just feathered out. Big mamma seems to take an interest in them. Hanging out near them pleasantly.

Today the girls made their own decisions about nest locations and made a spot on the floor next to the chicks their new nest spot. Half the girls laid their eggs there the other half in the new nest box we built. No buried eggs. But now both mammas (our buff hens) are laying in the nest box and rearranging the shavings around themselves and placing them on eggs, we've witnessed it.

Our coop has a poly panel roof, and lots of windows. We've made them a screen door and installed a vent in addition to the open door to their run, to give the girls a good breeze as it gets hot all closed up otherwise. It was cool and breezy today, our black Australorp girls were happy going about life as usual, our buffs were panting with their wings out like they were hot. They had perched up in a high corner by the nest box so we moved them down in front of the screen door and water. Big mamma stopped panting, but our little Mamma kept panting and had her rump spasming too. She's been a little bit lower in her egg production lately, but I thought it was simply her recovering from our rooster and focusing on feather growth. But her behavior today worried me. She can't be egg bound as we had a ten egg day today. Both of our buffs are only 1, but from the start have laid big eggs. We're actually wondering if it's not going to fair well for them in the end, as their egg size is what id expect from a 5-6 year old hen. One day we had an egg as big as a duck egg!

Any thoughts, should we be worried about the buffs, any ideas to explain their behavior?

Some pictures for fun...
View attachment 3511771
View attachment 3511770
View attachment 3511772

Thanks everyone for reading through all of this. I kept perusing older posts trying to find some answers and figure the more info the better for figuring out. we're new members and loving BYC!

hey everybody
We've got a one year old buff Orpington we affectionately call 'Big Mamma' we've got previous experience with chickens, but first time doing the whole process on a larger scale. We've got 10 hens, had 1 rooster whom we recently rehomed. We hatched out eggs before we rehomed our boy and bought six ameraucana pullets. ( After culling and rehoming roosters we'll have 20 hens.) It's been 2 weeks since the hens have been on their own, and we're hatching out a few more eggs as we loved the feathering on some of the chicks, but they're all boys. ( Hoping for some hens)

...to get on with it,
we've been gathering eggs as usual, pulling out our eggs from our two buff ladies, For hatching. (Big Mamma and little Mamma) The girls have been recovering from their stint with our old rooster but still laying 6-9 eggs a day.
We've just completed building a new coop for them, we went to move the girls in yesterday and noticed some interesting behavior from our buffs.
In the old coop our big mamma kept getting in her old nest box. We thought she was just going about her laying business so we gave her a few minutes. When she made an outside appearance, we went back to trying to move our girls to their new coop. Big mamma jumped back in to the nesting box. We moved a couple of the others and gave her another min. As there were no new eggs in the nest just the previous three eggs laid by our Australorp girls. Again she made an appearance in the run so we went back to moving girls, she hoped back in the box and started rearranging shavings around herself. After moving everyone else we moved her and the eggs to the new coop/nest box. She moved the eggs around then hopped down and started following us around like a new puppy. She's usually very nice but a little preoccupied as she's our alpha hen, always has been, often refused our rooster. Later when we went to check on everyone and the eggs, two out of three were buried deep in the shavings in the nest box, one on top. Super clingy hen again, more interested in hanging with us than scratching around. Is she getting broody? We've never had a broody hen before.
We've got the last batch of chicks in a mini coop inside the new big coop to get everyone acclimated as they've just feathered out. Big mamma seems to take an interest in them. Hanging out near them pleasantly.

Today the girls made their own decisions about nest locations and made a spot on the floor next to the chicks their new nest spot. Half the girls laid their eggs there the other half in the new nest box we built. No buried eggs. But now both mammas (our buff hens) are laying in the nest box and rearranging the shavings around themselves and placing them on eggs, we've witnessed it.

Our coop has a poly panel roof, and lots of windows. We've made them a screen door and installed a vent in addition to the open door to their run, to give the girls a good breeze as it gets hot all closed up otherwise. It was cool and breezy today, our black Australorp girls were happy going about life as usual, our buffs were panting with their wings out like they were hot. They had perched up in a high corner by the nest box so we moved them down in front of the screen door and water. Big mamma stopped panting, but our little Mamma kept panting and had her rump spasming too. She's been a little bit lower in her egg production lately, but I thought it was simply her recovering from our rooster and focusing on feather growth. But her behavior today worried me. She can't be egg bound as we had a ten egg day today. Both of our buffs are only 1, but from the start have laid big eggs. We're actually wondering if it's not going to fair well for them in the end, as their egg size is what id expect from a 5-6 year old hen. One day we had an egg as big as a duck egg!

Any thoughts, should we be worried about the buffs, any ideas to explain their behavior?

Some pictures for fun...
View attachment 3511771
View attachment 3511770
View attachment 3511772

Thanks everyone for reading through all of this. I kept perusing older posts trying to find some answers and figure the more info the better for figuring out. we're new members and loving BYC!

Update on the girls!
Little Mamma seems herself, no panting or spasming.
Big mamma seems more broody? If that is what's going on? Again, we've never had a broody hen, so no experience at all. But tonight when my husband went to collect eggs and tuck everyone in, she went over along with one of our Australorp girls and gave him a good earful of what sounded like complaints and stern talking to while he was gathering the eggs. The Australorp girl even perched on his egg gathering container and gave him a piece of her mind too... What in the world is going on?
If it is broodiness, is it contagious so to speak?
No one is spending long hours on the nest as far as I know.
Big Mamma still seems to enjoy being near our 3- 4week old chicks we've got in a separate enclosure in the main coop for incorporation.

 

[MrsNorthie]

hey everybody
We've got a one year old buff Orpington we affectionately call 'Big Mamma' we've got previous experience with chickens, but first time doing the whole process on a larger scale. We've got 10 hens, had 1 rooster whom we recently rehomed. We hatched out eggs before we rehomed our boy and bought six ameraucana pullets. ( After culling and rehoming roosters we'll have 20 hens.) It's been 2 weeks since the hens have been on their own, and we're hatching out a few more eggs as we loved the feathering on some of the chicks, but they're all boys. ( Hoping for some hens)

...to get on with it,
we've been gathering eggs as usual, pulling out our eggs from our two buff ladies, For hatching. (Big Mamma and little Mamma) The girls have been recovering from their stint with our old rooster but still laying 6-9 eggs a day.
We've just completed building a new coop for them, we went to move the girls in yesterday and noticed some interesting behavior from our buffs.
In the old coop our big mamma kept getting in her old nest box. We thought she was just going about her laying business so we gave her a few minutes. When she made an outside appearance, we went back to trying to move our girls to their new coop. Big mamma jumped back in to the nesting box. We moved a couple of the others and gave her another min. As there were no new eggs in the nest just the previous three eggs laid by our Australorp girls. Again she made an appearance in the run so we went back to moving girls, she hoped back in the box and started rearranging shavings around herself. After moving everyone else we moved her and the eggs to the new coop/nest box. She moved the eggs around then hopped down and started following us around like a new puppy. She's usually very nice but a little preoccupied as she's our alpha hen, always has been, often refused our rooster. Later when we went to check on everyone and the eggs, two out of three were buried deep in the shavings in the nest box, one on top. Super clingy hen again, more interested in hanging with us than scratching around. Is she getting broody? We've never had a broody hen before.
We've got the last batch of chicks in a mini coop inside the new big coop to get everyone acclimated as they've just feathered out. Big mamma seems to take an interest in them. Hanging out near them pleasantly.

Today the girls made their own decisions about nest locations and made a spot on the floor next to the chicks their new nest spot. Half the girls laid their eggs there the other half in the new nest box we built. No buried eggs. But now both mammas (our buff hens) are laying in the nest box and rearranging the shavings around themselves and placing them on eggs, we've witnessed it.

Our coop has a poly panel roof, and lots of windows. We've made them a screen door and installed a vent in addition to the open door to their run, to give the girls a good breeze as it gets hot all closed up otherwise. It was cool and breezy today, our black Australorp girls were happy going about life as usual, our buffs were panting with their wings out like they were hot. They had perched up in a high corner by the nest box so we moved them down in front of the screen door and water. Big mamma stopped panting, but our little Mamma kept panting and had her rump spasming too. She's been a little bit lower in her egg production lately, but I thought it was simply her recovering from our rooster and focusing on feather growth. But her behavior today worried me. She can't be egg bound as we had a ten egg day today. Both of our buffs are only 1, but from the start have laid big eggs. We're actually wondering if it's not going to fair well for them in the end, as their egg size is what id expect from a 5-6 year old hen. One day we had an egg as big as a duck egg!

Any thoughts, should we be worried about the buffs, any ideas to explain their behavior?

Some pictures for fun...
View attachment 3511771
View attachment 3511770
View attachment 3511772

Thanks everyone for reading through all of this. I kept perusing older posts trying to find some answers and figure the more info the better for figuring out. we're new members and loving BYC!

I do know buff are more cold tolerant, they have really thick layers of feathers, so potentially as @azygous mentioned, they are getting used to the new arrangements, but also I noticed our buffs like extra shade, icy treats (I freeze some berries in water for them), and a little splash pool as soon as it got over 75 F and they retreat to the coop for mid-day siesta. Maybe try creating some deep shade areas so they can get out of the sun but still get the benefit of the good breeze.

 

[ManOverBoard]

I do know buff are more cold tolerant, they have really thick layers of feathers, so potentially as @azygous mentioned, they are getting used to the new arrangements, but also I noticed our buffs like extra shade, icy treats (I freeze some berries in water for them), and a little splash pool as soon as it got over 75 F and they retreat to the coop for mid-day siesta. Maybe try creating some deep shade areas so they can get out of the sun but still get the benefit of the good breeze.

Thank you Mrs.northie, for the suggestion we'll try some out tomorrow!

 

[MrsNorthie]

Thank you Mrs.northie, for the suggestion we'll try some out tomorrow!

You will also get the benefit of making them all super happy for treat time.

 

[ManOverBoard]

You will also get the benefit of making them all super happy for treat time.

 

[Mrs. K]

Chickens hate change, even good change. Sometimes change will break a broody. But I think they are just unsure of a new coop.

 

[Idna1957]

U



Update on the girls!
Little Mamma seems herself, no panting or spasming.
Big mamma seems more broody? If that is what's going on? Again, we've never had a broody hen, so no experience at all. But tonight when my husband went to collect eggs and tuck everyone in, she went over along with one of our Australorp girls and gave him a good earful of what sounded like complaints and stern talking to while he was gathering the eggs. The Australorp girl even perched on his egg gathering container and gave him a piece of her mind too... What in the world is going on?
If it is broodiness, is it contagious so to speak?
No one is spending long hours on the nest as far as I know.
Big Mamma still seems to enjoy being near our 3- 4week old chicks we've got in a separate enclosure in the main coop for incorporation.

I do know buff are more cold tolerant, they have really thick layers of feathers, so potentially as @azygous mentioned, they are getting used to the new arrangements, but also I noticed our buffs like extra shade, icy treats (I freeze some berries in water for them), and a little splash pool as soon as it got over 75 F and they retreat to the coop for mid-day siesta. Maybe try creating some deep shade areas so they can get out of the sun but still get the benefit of the good breeze.

It takes a few days for the chicks figure out their new home. Whe any of my hens are broody, they squack constantly. If I reach under them to get eggs, they scream at me and sometimes get in a peck or two. We have no rooster. Some of my year old chicks sit on and try to keep eggs too, but they are not broody.