never seen this before...

[cheeperchick]

Hi all & happy new year! so it's been a month since my flock started laying and I noticed one of my black stars hopped out of her nesting box and started picking up straw and loose feathers from the ground and was trying to place them on her own back. I'm amused and curious on why she's doing this....any ideas? She's about 30 weeks old.

 

[Judy]

It's a broody behavior, I believe. In nature they try to camoflage themselves as they sit on their nest.

 

[cheeperchick]

It's a broody behavior, I believe.  In nature they try to camoflage themselves as they sit on their nest.

lol, she's gonna have to work harder to camouflage herself! Thanks, isn't she a little young to go broody?

 

[Judy]

Unless she is staying in the nest essentially 24/7, growling at you when you approach, flattening herself out if placed on the coop floor, etc., she hasn't actually gone broody. Think of it as toying with the idea. It's a hormonal change. Yes, she's a bit young, but it does occasionally happen that they go broody not long after beginning to lay. She may turn out to be one that goes broody regularly, come spring.

 

[BrickWall Honey]

I have severl RedStars that have done that since they starting laying. They will lay an egg and then for the next 10 minutes or so begin to place bits of straw over there back and then leave the box.