Auckward flight

[BuKock]

Hi, I have a Pekin chicken (named Pop-star) which is not so good a layer, I think she would to a good mum because she is very broody in summer. She looks beautiful but since I have raised my coop to approx. 600 millimetres Pop-star has always looked stressed when having to jump to it before dusk.

Last time I closed the coop for the night Pop-Star was not with the rest of the flock, I started looking and found her under an outdoor shed. Today to check her flight, I picked her up and tossed her to shoulder high and she always landed chest/head first every time. Pop-star looks heavy and I am wondering if there is something wrong with her.

Has anyone had similar experiences, is this the sign of something wrong with her?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Bantam cochins or pekin aren't exactly aerodynamic. By the evening she probably has a full crop so it will cause them to be front heavy. Is she nesting under the shed?

 

[BuKock]

Bantam cochins or pekin aren't exactly aerodynamic. By the evening she probably has a full crop so it will cause them to be front heavy. Is she nesting under the shed?

Hi thanks for your reply. I don't think Pop-star is nesting under the shed, because if I close the gate then she would not be able to get under the shed and in that case she would jump/fly to the coop. Last year Pop-star could land gracefully from a short flight but not today. I will test her flight skills again tomorrow morning to see if it's just a full crop that is causing her landing to appear strange. Thanks again, any replies are much appreciated.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Be careful in case she's got a bad leg, you don't want to irritate with hard landings. How old is she?

 

[BuKock]

Be careful in case she's got a bad leg, you don't want to irritate with hard landings. How old is she?

I am not sure how old she is, I had Pop-star for about 2 years so assuming she was 1 year at purchase she is relatively young at 3 year old. I've tested Pop-star's flight three time this morning and she landed gracefully every time. I've also noticed that if I perch her up about shoulder high and let her decide when to jump she has a much better landing than if I gently toss her. Considering that chickens don't usually fly, I think she is OK just not that confident jumping up high to the coop. Maybe I should send her to the chicken Gym and on a wings fitness programme. ;-)

 

[MommaHen2Many]

can you give her a mid space "hopping place" or a little ladder to get up in? Maybe she is intimidated by the change?

I made some changes to my coop--moving my roosts, and the hens just wanted to be where they always were...they were so confused. I moved their "ramp" to the new roosts, and they associated it with "roosting" and walked up it to the new roost.