Philosorapteuse
Chirping
- Dec 4, 2020
- 29
- 94
- 66
Hey folks, I'm hoping some more experienced heads can shed some light. I'm starting to wonder whether our pekin bantam Miss Ives is having trouble laying, or whether something else is going on.
She's about a year old, has been laying regularly for a few months now with no issues. This last couple of weeks though, she's started sitting in the nesting box away from the flock for ages, without laying. She'll come bustling out of the run and make her croaky little "this nest is INADEQUATE" call until one or both of the roos comes hurrying over to escort her either to the normal nesting box, or to suggest somewhere else. She'll sit in there quietly a good while without laying... then rinse and repeat, with intervals of foraging around the garden as normal.
She's definitely not broody, and never actually lays til late afternoon, but spends all day complaining that she needs to. She spends so long in there on her own that I wonder whether she's having trouble? But she manages eventually, and she's lively enough when she ventures out, so I'm not sure how much I should be worrying!
Alternatively... is it possible she's jealous and playing for attention? She used to go in to lay with Lindy, her BFF. But Lindy and our third hen Ulrika are now occupied with coparenting a chick. (Miss Ives' offspring, in fact, but she's shown no interest in parenthood thus far.) While they were broody Miss Ives seemed to thoroughly enjoy swanning around the garden flanked by two roosters, who were entirely at her beck and call and vying for her attention
But now Blackwell, her favourite, is greatly preoccupied standing guard over the new arrival and its mums, whose daily programme is currently full of Chick Time and epic dustbathing sessions. Miss Ives is often off on her own when she does come out - she seems to have no interest in hanging out, even though she and Lindy used to be inseparable.
Has anyone else had a young hen behave like this? What do you think - laying problems? Does she not want to lay without company, maybe? Do chooks ever get jealous?
She's about a year old, has been laying regularly for a few months now with no issues. This last couple of weeks though, she's started sitting in the nesting box away from the flock for ages, without laying. She'll come bustling out of the run and make her croaky little "this nest is INADEQUATE" call until one or both of the roos comes hurrying over to escort her either to the normal nesting box, or to suggest somewhere else. She'll sit in there quietly a good while without laying... then rinse and repeat, with intervals of foraging around the garden as normal.
She's definitely not broody, and never actually lays til late afternoon, but spends all day complaining that she needs to. She spends so long in there on her own that I wonder whether she's having trouble? But she manages eventually, and she's lively enough when she ventures out, so I'm not sure how much I should be worrying!
Alternatively... is it possible she's jealous and playing for attention? She used to go in to lay with Lindy, her BFF. But Lindy and our third hen Ulrika are now occupied with coparenting a chick. (Miss Ives' offspring, in fact, but she's shown no interest in parenthood thus far.) While they were broody Miss Ives seemed to thoroughly enjoy swanning around the garden flanked by two roosters, who were entirely at her beck and call and vying for her attention
But now Blackwell, her favourite, is greatly preoccupied standing guard over the new arrival and its mums, whose daily programme is currently full of Chick Time and epic dustbathing sessions. Miss Ives is often off on her own when she does come out - she seems to have no interest in hanging out, even though she and Lindy used to be inseparable. Has anyone else had a young hen behave like this? What do you think - laying problems? Does she not want to lay without company, maybe? Do chooks ever get jealous?
