Chicken Psychologist Needed

[SilverPhoenix]

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Yep. And there's always a favorite box that they all want to lay in. It's usually not a problem until you get someone that goes broody in the favorite box!

Indeed! And then if you have bantams like me, everyone decides they want to go broody in that box, too, and then you get the broody pile!

I love chickens, they're the funniest! I've had broody piles of nine or more birds, including ones where the guinea hens joined in, too.

 

[centrarchid]

The closest I have to broody piles involves two hens (either sisters or mother and daughter). Conflicts usually minimal between hens although hatch rate and subsequent survival of chicks through independence is reduced.

 

[ginormous chicken]

That's simple. Would you sit on the cold toilet seat, or the warm one?

Chickens like to share..... OK not really.... and definitely not scratch, but they like to use the same boxes. Try the fake egg thing.​

 

[Chicklette 1]

Thanks for all your responses.........I think I get the picture!! Normal chicken behavior. They ARE funny.

 

[kano]

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........... Try the fake egg thing.

This helps.

 

[zippitydooda]

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I'm confused by this term... can you please explain again? cuckhold?

 

[centrarchid]

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I'm confused by this term... can you please explain again? cuckhold?

You drop your kids off for someone else to raise. Moms and dads can do it. It is a form of cheating.

 

[galanie]

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[CountryBarb]

Hens do like sharing nests. We currently have a 2 nest nest box and there have been a number of times that I have opened it up to do a nest check and find 2 hens in each nest.

Barb

 

[centrarchid]

When I was a kid, we allowed our brood hens to nest where they wanted. Usually it was loose hay or straw that caught their eye. Nearly half of nest were in barn loft with most of balance below mangers. Under those conditions the hens typically competed for preferred cites. If two nested side by side, then in most cases they were closely related (sisters or mother and daughter).