Beak swiping

[kardar2]

I noticed in the evenings as the chickens make their way to bed one of the hens comes out and repeatedly rakes her beak back and forth on the ladder going up to the coop. Does anyone know why? It is like she is tellin them to get their butt to bed LOL

 

[Ravynscroft]

Usually they swipe their beak back and forth on something to clean it off... is there food and/or water in the coop? Maybe she's getting a last bite/drink and going to a favorite beak cleaning spot... or could be that she needed to clean her beak a couple times on her way in and she has made it a habit... chickens have many little idiosyncrasies that a lot of people wouldn't believe, lol...

 

[azygous]

Some of my chickens do that, too. You can look at it like the chicken version of brushing their teeth, which they don't have, but a chicken with good upbringing likes to keep a clean beak.

 

[Percheron chick]

It's also how they hone their beaks.