Odd post-laying behaviour

[NickyPick]

Out of 8 pullets that are now laying, only one actually sings the egg song after. I watched Opal lay an egg yesterday in the corner of the horse's stall and as she walked way, she started picking at the shavings. Every third shaving, she would toss it over her back. It took her a full 5 minutes to make her way across to me and the coop door. Any ideas as to what that was all about?

 

[sourland]

May very well be a genetic throw back to the days when a feral hen would cover her nest to hide the eggs from predators.

 

[TwoCrows]

Some birds, and I have no idea if chickens do this, but some of the avian kind will toss material over their backs for gathering nesting materials. My quail do this all the time, will toss hay over their backs into a pile, and then arrange it into a nice nest. Lovebirds will do the same thing. So your hen is probably attempting to gather materials for making a nest.

 

[teach1rusl]

I don't know

but some of mine do it too after laying. Sometimes it continues all the way outside, and they pluck grass and toss that over their should too (for good luck maybe...lol).

 

[NickyPick]

Ha, for good luck. Kind of like she spilled salt (egg), and now must toss salt (shavings) over her shoulder to ward off bad luck. I like that.