Hen rubbing beak on ground

[LesGan]

Year old buff orpington hen, appears to be broody, not laying, playing musical nests. I took her off one nest today to clean box....she had settled on another hen's thin shelled egg and it had broken. My question is about her behavior while off the nest. She went out into chicken yard, ate and drank and walked around really fluffed up especially her head feathers. She also kept rubbing her beak on the ground and a concrete block that is in the yard. I kept thinking she would poop because her tail feathers moved like she was going to...but she didn't. I observed her for about 20 minutes and she continued to fluff up, eat, drink and walk around. Is she alright? Is this head fluffing and beak rubbing broody a broody habit? Could she be egg bound? A few times I would see her slightly shake her head. Needless to say I am new at this. Would appreciate some advice. She is my best hen and don't want to loose her.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Quote:
all of my chickens will rub their beak on things at some point - usually during eating. The fluffing is probably just her putting her feathers back into place - like when you have to sit for a long time, you get up and "fluff" yourself (well, not fluff, but you can imagine).

I had to sit on bleachers for my son's graduation - I had to "fluff" myself a few times.

meri

 

[gritsar]

The don't have napkins and even if they did, they don't have hands to use those napkins, so rubbing their beak on the ground is the next best thing.
If I'm standing too close when one of my hens has need of a napkin, they'll use my pant leg instead.

 

[LesGan]

Thanks Mojo Chik'n and gritsar for your responses. I had just never seen my other chickens rub their beaks on the ground like this broody girl is doing. Along with the head shaking I guess I was afraid she had an ear ache or some such. Since I have been sitting for so long reading I shall get up and fluff myself out a bit. Thanks to you both.

 

[Cynicalsleeper]

my chickens all rub their beaks on the ground, as others have said, usually after eating. Im assuming theyre just trying to wipe them clean.

 

[bantamenace]

We feed our chickens layer mash in the morning and they wipe their beaks on the concrete path after eating all the time. Also when they come out of the coop in the morning they fluff and flap about and run around the yard

Sorry dont know about the broody thing yet as ours havent layed yet

 

[jenni2142]

My broody did the same. I think it was her way of letting the others know that she wasn't happy and to stay out of her way. Broody=grumpy

 

[Lila_Brambleburr]

I've had them wipe their beaks on my pant legs, too. So cute...

 

[zteagirl71]

You may be right about that, because my broody hen wipes her beak even when she hasn't been eating, and I can't see any nasal discharge. So it must be like a bull scraping his hooves on the ground.

 

[spooky2562]

I could use a professional opinion on this as well. Same situation exactly. Broody and now I've separated her from the rest. She is still fluffed up and constantly scraping her beak on stuff...not the occasional like the others. Totally different behavior than normal. Barely pooped but I'm assuming/hoping it's just because she hasn't eaten much yet. She's otherwise normal so I guess I won't worry much yet.