bizzare roosting behavior?

[stormylady]

If they weren't happy with it they would move I would just them alone and be happy.

 

[stcroixusvi]

are you sure she is not a "he"?

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[hamilton3475]

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LOL that's funny

I guess they feel secure there. You could block that off for a while if your worried about them.

 

[theoldchick]

I'm always amazed that no matter how much we breed to change the appearance of chickens there are certain behaviors we just can't breed out of our birds. Roosters will always crow, hens will always cackle the eggsong, and both sexes will always roost where they want, how they want, and when they want.

You will always have the loner in some flocks. The low bird (or sick) in the flock who will not be allowed to get close. You will always have the 'ball of chickens' who roost so close some are on each other. This is an evolutionary device which developed to allow the higher ranked birds to survive a predator attack. Of course if a light source is being used it means the chicks are cold.

The OP's pictures makes sense if you are a chicken. These young birds are growing fast and might appreciate a little extra support those rapidly growing bodies need. Or the wall could be providing warmth still lingering from the sun. Or by hiding their heads they are preventing pecking from a dominant bird.


For over 6 months Big Sister refused to roost with her flock mates. She always went to the corner by herself. She never tried to join them. She simply went to 'her' corner and roosted by herself. She was always the more assertive hen, and when challenged she quickly flared to accept the challenge. She never backed down from a challenge, yet I never saw her initiate an attack. However, now the weather is colder she is roosting with the flock. I wonder if she'll go back to roosting alone when the weather turns warm in the spring?

Always amazing how intricate those tiny little brains are. We may never know the exact reason why they do what they do but they are sure fun to watch.

 

[stcroixusvi]

What a lot of interesting ideas about why they do what they do. I am happy to report, as the OP, that all birds now roost comfortably crammed together on two different sides of the roost, not tucked down against the door. I wrote the original post back in July. It's funny to see the old pictures now, especially since all the birds now seem to be pros at being birds

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[elmo]

Ours prefer to roost on the shelf supports because it lets a lucky hen roost right next to the wall. I think it makes them feel safer having something solid on one side. To cut down on squabbling over those favored spots, I added a bunch of additional, totally unnecessary shelf supports and now everyone is happy.

In your case, it's hard to tell from the photo but I wonder if you could move the bar that they're on a little farther away from the wall? That would give them a bit more head room.

 

[rakers]

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Definitely all egg-laying hens. Based on what others are saying, I will not worry about it and let them do their thing. However I am interested in your continued theories as to why one hen would sit on top of another. Neither of the two are at the top of the pecking order...

 

[centrarchid]

Birds may simply be trying to stay warm but individual on bottom is either not aggressive enough to keep other bird of its back or feels better being effectively "brooded".

 

[allpeepedout]

Mine are 10 months old and prefer to huddle together. They try to get under each other and especially under the rooster, as though they were still chicks. I provided an alternative place for them to do so. They use the roost in the run more conventionally during the day, but at night they want to take cover and feel secure.