- Oct 18, 2010
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Questions for y'all:
What is it that runs through hens' little brains and informs their decisions???
I have 3 "old" hens about 1-1/2 years old. About 4 months ago I introduced three 8 week old chicks. They have their own coop and were fenced apart (but within sight) for several weeks and then we took the fence down and the flock was one. Sort of. The "old" hens keep their top position in the pecking order and while they mingle some, they continue to assert their superiority. The new hens are now 23-24 weeks old. Both sets of hens go to their own coops at night to sleep. The older girls often enter the new girls coop to eat their food (both coops have free choice feed at all times) but the new hens have never set foot in the older girls coop. Until last weekend.
The biggest of the new girls started laying Saturday. Where? In the nest box of the older hens coop! There are perfectly good nest boxes in the new girls coop and the older hens often try them out - but always return to their own nests to lay. The new hen has now laid a beautiful perfect egg every day since - in the older hens' nest. After I let them out in the morning, she waits a little while and then marches up the ramp and sits in the nest and lays her egg.
What in the world possessed her to enter the "enemy" territory to make her nest? What drives these birds? Was it smell? Was it magic?
Am very curious to see what the other two newbies do when they start laying - which should be any day now!
S.
What is it that runs through hens' little brains and informs their decisions???
I have 3 "old" hens about 1-1/2 years old. About 4 months ago I introduced three 8 week old chicks. They have their own coop and were fenced apart (but within sight) for several weeks and then we took the fence down and the flock was one. Sort of. The "old" hens keep their top position in the pecking order and while they mingle some, they continue to assert their superiority. The new hens are now 23-24 weeks old. Both sets of hens go to their own coops at night to sleep. The older girls often enter the new girls coop to eat their food (both coops have free choice feed at all times) but the new hens have never set foot in the older girls coop. Until last weekend.
The biggest of the new girls started laying Saturday. Where? In the nest box of the older hens coop! There are perfectly good nest boxes in the new girls coop and the older hens often try them out - but always return to their own nests to lay. The new hen has now laid a beautiful perfect egg every day since - in the older hens' nest. After I let them out in the morning, she waits a little while and then marches up the ramp and sits in the nest and lays her egg.
What in the world possessed her to enter the "enemy" territory to make her nest? What drives these birds? Was it smell? Was it magic?
Am very curious to see what the other two newbies do when they start laying - which should be any day now!
S.