Chicken is "decorating" herself with grass?

[zebular13]

You can see in the video below that she is picking up dried grass and leaves and trying to stick them to her backside:

Is this a mating behavior? Is she being playful?

This happened twice while I was sitting with her after removing her from the nesting box (she had been in there all day after laying an egg and I assumed she was broody, but otherwise she's not acting broody).

 

[cherrynberry]

You can see in the video below that she is picking up dried grass and leaves and trying to stick them to her backside:

Is this a mating behavior? Is she being playful?

This happened twice while I was sitting with her after removing her from the nesting box (she had been in there all day after laying an egg and I assumed she was broody, but otherwise she's not acting broody).

It’s what hens do after they lay an egg. It’s totally normal!

 

[deidreg]

That's adorable! I've heard of other birds doing this as part of mating, but not a chicken.

 

[demonic]

You can see in the video below that she is picking up dried grass and leaves and trying to stick them to her backside:

Is this a mating behavior? Is she being playful?

This happened twice while I was sitting with her after removing her from the nesting box (she had been in there all day after laying an egg and I assumed she was broody, but otherwise she's not acting broody).

my chickens do this with straw from the nesting box while they are laying eggs. It’s just a chicken behavior

 

[DobieLover]

You can see in the video below that she is picking up dried grass and leaves and trying to stick them to her backside:

Is this a mating behavior? Is she being playful?

This happened twice while I was sitting with her after removing her from the nesting box (she had been in there all day after laying an egg and I assumed she was broody, but otherwise she's not acting broody).

They do that while in the nest before laying an egg and when they are broody. If she won't get off the nest after she lays her egg, she may be thinking seriously about becoming broody.
Are you equipped to break her if she does go broody?

 

[cherrynberry]

They do that while in the nest before laying an egg and when they are broody. If she won't get off the nest after she lays her egg, she may be thinking seriously about becoming broody.
Are you equipped to break her if she does go broody?

Or it may just be that chicken. I have a few chickens that just love to stay in the nesting box even after they layed an egg. Then they proceed to place hay on their backs and sing their egg song as they get off the nest.

 

[DobieLover]

Or it may just be that chicken. I have a few chickens that just love to stay in the nesting box even after they layed an egg. Then they proceed to place hay on their backs and sing their egg song as they get off the nest.

The OP is physically removing her from the nest.

 

[zebular13]

Thanks for the replies!
This is the first time I've seen her do it, and she doesn't typically stay in the nest after laying an egg. She's never been broody before either (she's 2 and a half).

I did find a thread from 2010 where lots of people say they've seen the same thing:
Hen putting leaves, grass and feathers on her back??!!

I think it's really funny and cute. I'll have to keep an eye out to see if any of my other birds do it. I recently installed a coop cam, which is how I realized that she was sitting in the nesting box way longer than normal.