Odd nesting behavior.

[ldavis916]

We have 6 chicken all about 27 weeks old. The Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, GLW Wyandotte and RIR are laying and the Brahma and Easter Egger are not yet. The odd behavior is with the RIR. When she's in the nesting box she grabs mouthfuls of pine shavings and dumps them on her back... Like she's burying herself. Then she gets up they all fall off and she starts all over. Is this normal???

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

We have 6 chicken all about 27 weeks old. The Barred Rock, Buff Orpington, GLW Wyandotte and RIR are laying and the Brahma and Easter Egger are not yet. The odd behavior is with the RIR. When she's in the nesting box she grabs mouthfuls of pine shavings and dumps them on her back... Like she's burying herself. Then she gets up they all fall off and she starts all over. Is this normal???

OMGosh. My RIR was doing that too a couple of days ago. Going from nest to nest. I really thought she was going to lay, but she just took the straw and put it on her back. My BO's and BR's don't do this.

 

[ldavis916]

Yeah... She was going back and forth between the 2 boxes. She got up twice and did the egg song with no egg and eventually laid one.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

I think my two RIR's are hold outs. Had soft shell eggs under roost for a week or two. Now none. I am getting 4 eggs per day from my 4 others, 2 BO and 2 BR. My RIR were a couple of weeks younger than the other 4 but are now 22 weeks and the others are 24-25 weeks. They have been laying good for about 6 weeks now. The Reds are baffling me.

 

[Den in Penn]

Yes it is normal behavior for about to be new layers. Sometimes an older one will do it.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

Yes it is normal behavior for about to be new layers. Sometimes an older one will do it.

I just thought it was weird that only my Reds are doing it and the others didn't. The others would go in the nests and turn the circles to get the bowl shape, sometimes move a piece of straw to where she wanted it. But not like she is making a "Ghillie" suit from it.

 

[Den in Penn]

chickens are individuals some squat some don't Some make nest and throw nesting material some don't. And actually there are some who think throwing nesting material on their back is a regression to when they did try to camouflage the nest.

 

[TurtlePowerTrav]

chickens are individuals some squat some don't Some make nest and throw nesting material some don't. And actually there are some who think throwing nesting material on their back is a regression to when they did try to camouflage the nest.

Ahhh, don't say that. She might be laying then and have a hidden nest. They roam 22,000sf back yard when I let them out to free range everyday. Looks like i have an egg hunt to do. UGH