Is my chicken crazy?

[kathychick]

We have a lovely little mixed young flock from Meyer. The meal-maker turned out to be a beautiful Dominique who also is out our first and only (to date) layer.

She has started running around in and out of the coop making all sorts if noise whenever we go into the coop. I'm not sure if she is yelling "who took my egg?!" Or what!

She runs frantically around the run seemingly looking for something then goes back into the coop scratches around and then it starts all over again.

After about an hour she settles down.

Has anyone else seen this behavior or is Amelia just bat-crazy?

 

[Kelsie2290]

Out of curiosity, do you have a rooster? I wonder if she is doing some sort of alarm alert that usually is a roosters job.
A lot of times my pullets are fairly wild in the weeks right before they start to lay, but calm down when they start laying, so if she wasn't already laying I would have said it is just that.

 

[kathychick]

She didn't start laying until this week and that is when this behavior started. So perhaps it is that.

I do not have a rooster (in my next life with more land and money) but the laying and sounding the alarm started the same week.

My husband liked your answer and said "those darn hormones in you girls" LOL

We will wait to see if it subsides as this is just the first week of laying.

Thank you for letting me know about "the behavior".

 

[lizmcd]

My girls do the same thing. I can hear them all the way in the house. When the get ready to lay they run all around the coop. Jump
In and out then finally go in and stay until they lay. When their all done they sound the alarm to let every
one know their finished. They also do the same thing when they see something out of the ordinary. For
instance I found a baby kitten and in the middle of finding it a home I took the baby out side to show
the girls. Oh my goodness when they seen that kitten
they would just stand there turn their head sideways and got so loud it was to funny. Another day idk what they seen I was inside the hs. I have two Basset Hounds and those Chicknes got so loud and crazy they had the dogs howling. Hope this helps. I LOVE my Girls

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Since she has just started laying, she may be distressed as where to best lay her egg. My new or less dominate hens will do what you describe when someone more dominant is in their favorite nesting area or they are unsure where they should lay.

Does she have a nice box to nest in? I presume you do, but just in case....Hens prefer a nice, distinct, nesting area that is free from interruption and out of the main path. A box that is 12 in by 12 in by 12 in is a good rule of thumb. (Bigger is better if you have more than one layer).

Hens also do the "egg song" after laying or just before laying.

...and yes, she is hormonal.

Lady of McCamley

 

[appps]

Mine didn't shut up that first week they started laying. We started referring to it as them complaining to us lol. You couldn't go near them without getting an earful. One especially was very vocal and if I we t near the coop would run up and down trying to get out to me. I think it all was a bit distressing for her.
They also seemed to do a lot of inspecting everything. I just put it down to them being a little confused about what was happening suddenly. They seemed to settle down after that first week.

 

[lizmcd]

Guess my girls are just crazy all the time lol

 

[kathychick]

Okay. It has been months and I've been dutifully picking up the one egg which keeps getting laid on the floor when last night I went out to close up the girls as usual and checked in the nesting box and THERE SHE WAS! Sitting on her egg in the nest box - not on the floor! She looked at me as if to say "I'm waiting until you pick this egg up , otherwise I'm going back to the floor"

My girls are still sleeping on the floor although the dropping boards are dirty in the morning. Perhaps they are sleep walkers.