Indulging odd chicken behaviour

[Suzie]

I am sure that I am not the only one here who has chickens that display odd behaviour...so let's hear your stories...


I have posted before about Dizzy...to refresh your memories, she is the one that decided to follow her companions who flew from a 4 ft wall..she followed their example but did not open her wings...she fell flat..splat..onto a concrete base...I thought she was dead...

Dizzy was isolated and given intensive care..she survived but she is anything but normal...she is one crazy bird! Sometimes she will be laying on her back..feet in the air..and I have assumed that she has died...I will call out "Dizzy are you OK ?" and she will get up..shake herself and let me know in her indomitable way that she is fine...!

Dizzy lived with KT for quite some time in the Hospital wing...sadly KT died and Dizzy was distraught...I offered her a Teddy Bear for companionship and comfort...to no avail..she was terrified of Teddy...I moved some young chicks in with her and she was happy to live with them and it gave her some purpose..she is very good with youngsters and loves to Mother any that I give her to look after...Dizzy used to lay her eggs on KT's back..she would mount KT and spread her wings...it was so very funny to watch...she has now learned to lay her eggs in a mound of hay...


Bertha...is another of mine that was ill for some time...we are bonded and she is one HUGE Turken...but she is a baby where her exploits are concerned...she appears to seek my approval whenever she ventures into something new...she will seek me out and give me her "Bwaaakkk...Bwaaakk...I have to follow her to find out what she wishes me to help her explore and give my approval..in the mornings she is the only one that I HAVE to lift down from her perch..she will not touch the ground ...she has to be placed there by me!

This place is known as Dysfunctional Farm....I wonder why!

So...who else has strange stories to tell?

 

[ducksanddoxies]

Our pekin duck likes to keep eggs in her nest even though she's not broody and won't sit. Our drake will attack our dogs.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

I am sure that I am not the only one here who has chickens that display odd behaviour...so let's hear your stories...


I have posted before about Dizzy...to refresh your memories, she is the one that decided to follow her companions who flew from a 4 ft wall..she followed their example but did not open her wings...she fell flat..splat..onto a concrete base...I thought she was dead...

Dizzy was isolated and given intensive care..she survived but she is anything but normal...she is one crazy bird! Sometimes she will be laying on her back..feet in the air..and I have assumed that she has died...I will call out "Dizzy are you OK ?" and she will get up..shake herself and let me know in her indomitable way that she is fine...!

Dizzy lived with KT for quite some time in the Hospital wing...sadly KT died and Dizzy was distraught...I offered her a Teddy Bear for companionship and comfort...to no avail..she was terrified of Teddy...I moved some young chicks in with her and she was happy to live with them and it gave her some purpose..she is very good with youngsters and loves to Mother any that I give her to look after...Dizzy used to lay her eggs on KT's back..she would mount KT and spread her wings...it was so very funny to watch...she has now learned to lay her eggs in a mound of hay...


Bertha...is another of mine that was ill for some time...we are bonded and she is one HUGE Turken...but she is a baby where her exploits are concerned...she appears to seek my approval whenever she ventures into something new...she will seek me out and give me her "Bwaaakkk...Bwaaakk...I have to follow her to find out what she wishes me to help her explore and give my approval..in the mornings she is the only one that I HAVE to lift down from her perch..she will not touch the ground ...she has to be placed there by me!

This place is known as Dysfunctional Farm....I wonder why!

So...who else has strange stories to tell?

This is a good idea for a thread. Your Dizzy and Bertha are indeed quirky birds. And what would Bertha do without you? No sleeping in for you, Suzie.

One of my hens who was going through henopause, Maxine, would crow when she was the only on left in the coop.

Lately my Sebastopol goose, Simon, seems interested in standing on my feet (or really my big snow boots) when I stand still long enough.

 

[sunny & the 5 egg layers]

I love the stories of your "special needs" chickens, I have had quite a few of those in my few years of chicken keeping, but I don't think I can top how cute your chickens behaviors are.

I have one hen currently, her name is Poachy and she was badly rejected and beaten by the flock a year ago (it was the oddest thing, they all grew up together and one day I found Poachy barely hanging on to life and laying on the coop floor, bleeding badly from her head).
The first few days of Poachy's illness was an emotional rollercoaster ride. She was very alert and slept most of the time, expect for when I woke her up every few hours to get food in her. Even though she was very tired, I let Poachy know I was near. I always talked sweetly to my poor hen, and minimized any loud noises near her to help keep her calm.
I kept poach in a small plastic bin with tall sides during her first few days. The tall narrow sides helped her stand. One morning I woke up and was sure she was dying. I sat with her in my arms, tears rolling down my cheeks and I soothed my little black hen. "I love you little girl." And "it's ok Poachy". I whispered to her as I gently stroked her soft feathers.
After an hour of saying goodbye to my dear friend, she surprised me, her eyes opened and her desperate gasps of air weren't as frequent. My tears began to dry, and I allowed hope to replace the grief.
The days following her brush of death, Poachy would greet me every morning by peeking over the top of her bin. She finally began walking again, and I gave her a bigger hospital enclosure. She received special treats, and remained in my house for the rest of the winter. I knitted her a sweater and my dear friend would go outside in the blustery cold and follow me half way down the driveway and wait for me while I retrieved the mail. When I passed her to go back inside the house she would turn around and take baby steps behind me until I scooped her up in my arms and soothed my little bundle of feathers with all the baby talk she so deserved.

During her stay in my house she began crowing, the first time I heard this noise It was early in the morning and I was certain she had been choking on something. Panicked and expecting the worst, I rushed to my chicken hospital and there stood my black hen, wide eyed and bushy tailed, as if to say "What's the big rush? Hey, while you are here, mine as well fill my feed dish, hmmm?"
My hen was very good at hiding her crowing voice, she never would do it in front of me.

Poachy is doing well and she made a full recovery. She still remains special needs, as she has a severe limp, but my dear friend and I are still close. She now lives inside the coop, but enclosed In her own area, she can not be with her fellow flock mates any more. Her crowing completely stopped after she was in the presence of the flock again.

I had another hen as well- her name was Negu. Her name stood for Never Ever Give Up, and she was given to me for free, she never could walk, as her legs were severely deformed. She was a finicky young hen, never did lay an egg, and she was known for her awkward hair dos. She always had fuzzy head feathers, despite being a d'uccle.
She liked her tomatoes without the skin, and she had a razor sharp beak. She stood her ground and took no nonsense from the youngsters. Her favorite treat was egg, and she could often be found in a sled pulled by my border collie, she loved being pulled through the soft snow on mild winter days. She sadly passed away at eleven months old, but she was certainly a special friend.

I had another hen as well- Sunny. She was a very healthy hen in her younger days. She was the bravest chicken I have ever met, and she thought she was a dog. She would harass my border collie like crazy, them two would play together until finally I would make them stop. My dog sometimes forgot that she was much larger than Sunny, lol, and this made me nervous.
I remember one day fondly, out in the backyard, I tossed a ball to my loyal border collie, and a little red headed hen, full of spunk, beelined across the yard headed straight to me and my dog, she clearly wanted to play with us! "You aren't a dog, Sunny!" I told my dear hen as she stood about ten feet in front of me and my dog.
After a few moments of staring and pausing, my cheerful hen seemed to realize what I was implying and she cheerfully ran off. Sadly, she recently died a few months ago. But she was comforted be those who loved her most. She was a strong girl and my coop isn't the same without her. I believe she passed from ovarian cancer.

Our birds certainly have a special place in our hearts. I would have never known that chickens would impact my life on such an emotional level, but they really are special creatures.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

Those are sweet stories of Poachy, Negu and Sunny. It's wonderful that Poachy is doing well in her private section of the coop.

 

[ducksanddoxies]

I love the stories of your "special needs" chickens, I have had quite a few of those in my few years of chicken keeping, but I don't think I can top how cute your chickens behaviors are.

I have one hen currently, her name is Poachy and she was badly rejected and beaten by the flock a year ago (it was the oddest thing, they all grew up together and one day I found Poachy barely hanging on to life and laying on the coop floor, bleeding badly from her head).
The first few days of Poachy's illness was an emotional rollercoaster ride. She was very alert and slept most of the time, expect for when I woke her up every few hours to get food in her. Even though she was very tired, I let Poachy know I was near. I always talked sweetly to my poor hen, and minimized any loud noises near her to help keep her calm.
I kept poach in a small plastic bin with tall sides during her first few days. The tall narrow sides helped her stand. One morning I woke up and was sure she was dying. I sat with her in my arms, tears rolling down my cheeks and I soothed my little black hen. "I love you little girl." And "it's ok Poachy". I whispered to her as I gently stroked her soft feathers.
After an hour of saying goodbye to my dear friend, she surprised me, her eyes opened and her desperate gasps of air weren't as frequent. My tears began to dry, and I allowed hope to replace the grief.
The days following her brush of death, Poachy would greet me every morning by peeking over the top of her bin. She finally began walking again, and I gave her a bigger hospital enclosure. She received special treats, and remained in my house for the rest of the winter. I knitted her a sweater and my dear friend would go outside in the blustery cold and follow me half way down the driveway and wait for me while I retrieved the mail. When I passed her to go back inside the house she would turn around and take baby steps behind me until I scooped her up in my arms and soothed my little bundle of feathers with all the baby talk she so deserved.

During her stay in my house she began crowing, the first time I heard this noise It was early in the morning and I was certain she had been choking on something. Panicked and expecting the worst, I rushed to my chicken hospital and there stood my black hen, wide eyed and bushy tailed, as if to say "What's the big rush? Hey, while you are here, mine as well fill my feed dish, hmmm?"
My hen was very good at hiding her crowing voice, she never would do it in front of me.

Poachy is doing well and she made a full recovery. She still remains special needs, as she has a severe limp, but my dear friend and I are still close. She now lives inside the coop, but enclosed In her own area, she can not be with her fellow flock mates any more. Her crowing completely stopped after she was in the presence of the flock again.

I had another hen as well- her name was Negu. Her name stood for Never Ever Give Up, and she was given to me for free, she never could walk, as her legs were severely deformed. She was a finicky young hen, never did lay an egg, and she was known for her awkward hair dos. She always had fuzzy head feathers, despite being a d'uccle.
She liked her tomatoes without the skin, and she had a razor sharp beak. She stood her ground and took no nonsense from the youngsters. Her favorite treat was egg, and she could often be found in a sled pulled by my border collie, she loved being pulled through the soft snow on mild winter days. She sadly passed away at eleven months old, but she was certainly a special friend.

I had another hen as well- Sunny. She was a very healthy hen in her younger days. She was the bravest chicken I have ever met, and she thought she was a dog. She would harass my border collie like crazy, them two would play together until finally I would make them stop. My dog sometimes forgot that she was much larger than Sunny, lol, and this made me nervous.
I remember one day fondly, out in the backyard, I tossed a ball to my loyal border collie, and a little red headed hen, full of spunk, beelined across the yard headed straight to me and my dog, she clearly wanted to play with us! "You aren't a dog, Sunny!" I told my dear hen as she stood about ten feet in front of me and my dog.
After a few moments of staring and pausing, my cheerful hen seemed to realize what I was implying and she cheerfully ran off. Sadly, she recently died a few months ago. But she was comforted be those who loved her most. She was a strong girl and my coop isn't the same without her. I believe she passed from ovarian cancer.

Our birds certainly have a special place in our hearts. I would have never known that chickens would impact my life on such an emotional level, but they really are special creatures.

what great stories. It's very obvious you love your birds. Thanks for sharing.

 

[crazyfeathers]

Beautiful stories, the last one brought a tear to my eye. I have no quirky chickens unfortunately. I did just get a trio of black copper marans, the rooster is around 6 pounds and I just let them out of the cage to free range in the barn until we can get an enclosure made. Well I also have my molted Duccles in there Hannibal and Clarice. As soon as I set the cage down little one pound Hannibal was on top of the cage letting this new huge rooster know that he runs the show. I let them out of their cage and there goes Hannibal acting crazy, chest bumping and trying to teach this new rooster a lesson. Well for fear of Hannibals safety I grabbed him and put him in with the goats. The next day the new maran trio and the Duccles were existing together peacefully. I think Hannibal thinks he is the victor and I'll just let him think that.

 

[Suzie]

Dizzy was very unhappy yesterday evening...Bertha was in the hay box that Dizzy sleeps in...I ousted Bertha and she was put into a much larger hay box...next to the box for Dizzy...an hour later I checked on their coop and called "lights out"...Dizzy was not in her box...so I picked her up and put her into her box...she immediately launched herself out and ran around shrieking...I examined her box to find a large hidden egg...as soon as I removed it...she settled down for the night..

Now...when I call lights out...it is normal for Dizzy to walk up her wide ramp to her box...I always make sure she is in her box before I turn all the lights off...

I somehow think that the odd behaviour of my chickens is due in part to my indulging them...

The photograph is of Dizzy having just laid an egg after mounting KT...abnormal or what?
.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

The photograph is of Dizzy having just laid an egg after mounting KT...abnormal or what?
.

Dizzy is definitely a goof ball. Perhaps there are more odd chickens around than we realize. You simply take the time to notice their strangeness. Although Dizzy's odd behavior is harder to miss. She takes strangeness to a whole new level, and then we all get to enjoy the stories of her antics.

 

[Suzie]

This is my latest odd behaviour chicken..."Sprout"...is a nest box inspector...

To clarify what she does...she will patiently bide her time....until...a fellow broody has sat belovedly upon her eggs for 19-20 days...and then Sprout will peck repeatedly at the setting chicken...oust it from the nesting box and refuse to allow it back to the box...she will then be the one that gets her own home when she "hatches" HER baby chicks..she is nurtured as are HER chicks..this image is of her latest theft "Pixie" is her chick by deception...she is a great Mom...

Sprout is not allowed to hatch any of her own as I had a cross beak chick "Crosbie" who was from Sprout or Pepper..never again...the heartache of losing Crosbie was awful to say the least...so to minimise any risks...any eggs from any potential risk are swiftly removed.