Hen acting strange

[Knilsson]

I have a silkie hen that I've noticed acting funny. Several times I have caught her inside the coop, facing into one corner of her coop, against the walls, hopping up and down like she is stuck looking for a way out. I picked her up and checked her eyes, etc. to see if she was blind or had a noticeable infection of some kind. She appears to be perfectly healthy. I moved her several times away from that corner and she went back to it every time and continued the behavior. She doesn't do it 24/7 but I have seen her do it on more than one occasion. It reminds me of an obsessive compulsive disorder, like a dog that has gone kennel crazy. Does anyone have experience with this?

 

[ErinG]

Just a guess - sometimes one of my hens for some reason will not want to lay her egg in the nest boxes and will pace in one area. She can see under the coop through the fence and I think she wants to lay under there. I'm not sure about doing it facing a wall, but she sounds determined to do something!

 

[Knilsson]

Thanks for the input Erin. I was wondering if she was doing as a prep for egg laying for some reason...who knows, she's just goofy I guess. None of my hens have taken to using the nesting boxes I installed. They all lay their eggs on the floor of the coop and stay on the floor. None of them seem to want to roost above the floor. I guess I baught a strange batch of eggs, lol.

 

[ErinG]

Are all of your hens silkies? Of course they are goofy - look at them! I kid, I'd love to have some silkies some day I think they are adorable. I don't think silkies generally roost, or if they do it's just off the ground. Maybe they would like some ground nest boxes, with walls so they don't walk and poop there as much?

 

[Knilsson]

I think I'll lower the boxes down closer to the floor. As it is now the boxes are only about 12 inches off the floor. But they refuse to jump up into them or on th roost in front of them. I also have a medium size plastic pet kennel in the coop that they can go into when they want some added privacy or protection and they seem to like that. One or two use it to lay their eggs in as well. Crazy chickens, but we love them.