Do hens nap?

[cranna]

Is it common for a hen to nap several times on a sunny day? This isn't the usual sun bathing; she's just sitting quietly on the ground and occasionally closes her eyes. She is eating, drinking, and foraging most of the day. Egg production has slowed down a bit, but less than a week ago we rehomed a bully hen who had been picking on her for about 6 months (jumping on her back, picking feathers off her head). She is our most cautious hen, and we are hoping she finally is having a chance to just relax. She did lay a very nice egg today. Any thoughts? The sitting down is new.

 

[dawg53]

Yes, they take a nap at different times during the day. My question is; are the other hens doing the same thing as the one you're concerned about?

 

[cranna]

She sat down alone several times today. Once another hen joined her. (We have three.) She seemed fine otherwise.

 

[cafarmgirl]

Dawg makes a good point, they do nap but they seem to do so mostly as a group. My flock has a pretty set schedule when it comes to their mid-morning and after lunch nap lol! One bird will generally start off and they all join, same with exiting the barn after naptime, one goes, they all go. So if I see a bird consistently not moving pretty much with the rest of the flock for more then a day that's when I start looking/watching a little closer.

If you think she does indeed seem to be slow check her for mites/lice and check her body condition, see if she's lost weight. Are they on a regular deworming schedule?