Chicken motivation.?

[SammileeChickie]

Hello everyone.! I haven't been on this forum in such a long time.! But today I caught some interesting behaviors.

I've always noticed that when one chicken goes to lay an egg, the other girls go and stand by the coop or in the coop doorway. Today my chicken pebbles layed outside the coop and I took a picture of my girls just standing there next to her. It was so weird.!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I think they are just trying to keep an eye on each other, and perhaps are watching for predators, if they were brooded together they stick together.

 

[azygous]

Nine years ago, I began my chicken keeping endeavor with two adopted three-year old hens. When they finally settled in after moving here, I was peeking into the nest box to see if I had an egg yet. To my shock and amusement, there was one hen nesting, and the other hen was straddling her, getting ready to lay an egg on her back. There was another empty nest right next to it. That was my introduction to egg laying as a team sport.

It happens quite often that it's a mob scene in the nest boxes some mornings. Not all of the hens congregating are there on official business. Some are there to heckle, to root, to criticize, to bully, and to simply make sure something doesn't happen where they might be left out. Indeed, even the rooster sometimes is right in the middle of all the commotion, getting in a nest already stuffed with two hens.

It's a circus. It's little wonder, a few shy young ones will wait until rush hour is over, and I'll see one enjoying some peace and quiet all alone in her nest in the late afternoon.