Hi all, I have used this site for advice, through other user's posts. I am hoping for some advice regarding one of my girls.
We have two (sadly lost 3) ex battery girls. They are pretty spoiled. They have a hen house (raisex) which they are closed in an night and they have a large run, bought from Omlet brand (supposedly for proof etc). They access our garden when we are home and are sitting in the garden with them but have plenty of room within their run and dust baths etc.
Anyway, that was sort of my introduction!
For the past two days I have had to make a dash from the house out to the secure run as I have heard loud, repeated squawking from Amber (beautiful red girl). She seems distressed but calms down when I go inside and call her down. She then, for the next hour or so, is 'on guard and focused on looking around and sticking next to her sister, Crimson.
This is definitely not an egg song. She was literally running around the run, squawking loudly and repeatedly and seemingly really distressed. I looked around for any offenders and could only see a starling... I noticed they are now coming into the run to eat. They are fine with starlings in the garden (substantial flocks of them are usually in the garden at some point in the day) and she is fine with the little.sparrows that visit the run too.
I live in Scotland, in a village (not a small village anymore though) but the estate where we live is bordered by farmland.
Has anyone experienced hen behaviour like this before?
Frogs are a common feature here too. I checked for any mice droppings and couldn't see any.
I am totally perplexed as to what is causing her to be this scared.
Advice would be much appreciated
We have two (sadly lost 3) ex battery girls. They are pretty spoiled. They have a hen house (raisex) which they are closed in an night and they have a large run, bought from Omlet brand (supposedly for proof etc). They access our garden when we are home and are sitting in the garden with them but have plenty of room within their run and dust baths etc.
Anyway, that was sort of my introduction!
For the past two days I have had to make a dash from the house out to the secure run as I have heard loud, repeated squawking from Amber (beautiful red girl). She seems distressed but calms down when I go inside and call her down. She then, for the next hour or so, is 'on guard and focused on looking around and sticking next to her sister, Crimson.
This is definitely not an egg song. She was literally running around the run, squawking loudly and repeatedly and seemingly really distressed. I looked around for any offenders and could only see a starling... I noticed they are now coming into the run to eat. They are fine with starlings in the garden (substantial flocks of them are usually in the garden at some point in the day) and she is fine with the little.sparrows that visit the run too.
I live in Scotland, in a village (not a small village anymore though) but the estate where we live is bordered by farmland.
Has anyone experienced hen behaviour like this before?
Frogs are a common feature here too. I checked for any mice droppings and couldn't see any.
I am totally perplexed as to what is causing her to be this scared.
Advice would be much appreciated
