hen laying on her right side / wing

[mrealm]

I am glad that I found this post. With all the posts and discussion on Marek's I was a bit concerned when I saw two of my flock "lounging on their sides". I had freshened the run this morning and they were lounging near each other in a pile of dirt on their sides in the sunny part of the run. I watched them a bit and they'd occasionally preen themselves and flap some dirt. I'll definitely keep an eye on them to make sure that it is "normal behavior". As a new flock owner it is easy for paranoia to set in with all of the disease posts.

 

[realsis]

when I first saw this behavior it scared me to death! here was my girl laying on her side neck stretched out legs kicking! I almost had a heart attack! as I continued to watch in horror I saw her flipping and flopping over then I realized what was going on. she was enjoying herself. whew what a relief that was ! it can be very scarey when you first see it! that's for sure! but now you know what to expect. it makes them very happy to do this behavior. I wish you the best.

 

[mrealm]

It was definitely a shocking site and as I had mentioned paranoia set in. It is the one of the first warm/sunny days that we've had this season and now I do realize that they were enjoying themselves in the dirt and sun. I went out there with some of their favorite treats (live mealworms) and thy jumped right up and ran right over to me without hesitation or apparent mobility issues. They even beat out the rest of the flock.

 

[risk]

Sound like your chicken is fine. my Rhode island red hen lay on her side in the sun or when she takes a dirtbath.. sometimes she lay in the sun for a few. hours.