- Jan 12, 2011
- 31
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So our little egg-layin' machine Camilla the Leghorn is slowing down for the winter. This is our first entering-winter experience with our two hens (they wandered onto the property last December and adopted us), so we don't know if this is normal or not.
1. Camilla has stopped laying. Not unexpected, since the days are shorter. Her housemate Nigella pops out around 3 eggs/week still, which is surprising. So I'm not worried that Camilla isn't laying.
2. Camilla appears to be molting. Feathers look thinned out, and feathers on the floor of the coop etc. She doesn't appear to have any infestations, she's just "shedding" for lack of a better description.
3. She naps a lot. She may do this all the time for all I know, I'm just seeing it a lot because with the cold weather they've taken to perching outside the window where I sit with my computer (I assume they're sucking up some of the radiated heat from inside the house) whereas normally they're all over the yard. So again, this napping behavior may not be unusual this time of year. She seems to like to tuck her head under her wing, which I know is normal snoozing behavior for birds. Is it normal for her to get comfortable and just basically "nod off" during the day?
4. otherwise, no problems or anomalies. She forages all over the yard, eats her fill, craps enthusiastically, etc etc. So I don't think she's eggbound.
Anyone have any idea if there's any cause for worry here? Thanks as always, everyone!
1. Camilla has stopped laying. Not unexpected, since the days are shorter. Her housemate Nigella pops out around 3 eggs/week still, which is surprising. So I'm not worried that Camilla isn't laying.
2. Camilla appears to be molting. Feathers look thinned out, and feathers on the floor of the coop etc. She doesn't appear to have any infestations, she's just "shedding" for lack of a better description.
3. She naps a lot. She may do this all the time for all I know, I'm just seeing it a lot because with the cold weather they've taken to perching outside the window where I sit with my computer (I assume they're sucking up some of the radiated heat from inside the house) whereas normally they're all over the yard. So again, this napping behavior may not be unusual this time of year. She seems to like to tuck her head under her wing, which I know is normal snoozing behavior for birds. Is it normal for her to get comfortable and just basically "nod off" during the day?
4. otherwise, no problems or anomalies. She forages all over the yard, eats her fill, craps enthusiastically, etc etc. So I don't think she's eggbound.
Anyone have any idea if there's any cause for worry here? Thanks as always, everyone!
