Pain Guarding?

[Spinster_Sister]

My beautiful pullet, Parsley, has been doing this behavior for a long time. She has a habit of very slowly walking/stalking in the run...almost like she is gently walking on rice paper. She will then stop, in mid-gait and will hold one foot up and be very still without making a peep. Is she in pain? Is she figuring something out? Is she waiting for a pin to drop?

I hope she is not the only chicken to do this...as I don't want to worry that she is injured.

She does not limp, hop or favor one leg...she dances around, dust bathes and loves to talk.....

She is a Jersey Giant, 6.5 months old, about 7 lbs

 

[canada-goose]

She might be checking for danger. I'm not at all sure, though.

 

[Tiramisu]

I agree with Kooshie. Does she look like she's on the look out? If her leg was hurt she would be limping, I had a hen hurt her leg somehow

and she limped a lot, but fine the next day.

 

[riaketty]

Do you have a roo? (seems not from your sig)

Before we got our roos, one of the hens acted as 'lookout' and acted much the same way. Now the roos do the job.

 

[Spinster_Sister]

Thanks for your replies...Parsley is definitely the alpha pullet, so it makes sense that she is acting like a sentry. She still chases/pecks the other two younger pullets, so they are separated for now but next to each other's runs. She totally freaks out when she cannot see or hear them, squawking and bock bocking - then they get on her nerves and the little ones run and hide. I am sure I am looking for problems in an effort to get the upper hand on them.

just need a slap on the head to let them "be chickens"

 

[jettgirl24]

One of my Buff Orpingtons does that too although I don't know why. I didn't give it much thought because I've had parrots who do the same thing... I guess I just thought it was a bird thing