Suddenly unaffectionate chicken

[Aussiechickener]

So I've had my current lot of chickens for about two months now. One of them (a light Sussex) is around 18 weeks and while she was originally not a fan of contact has become very accustomed to cuddles. She often jumps up in my lap for pats and will stay there for a long time; I've had her sit up there for up to an hour.

This last week she's become a lot less affectionate, she won't sit up for cuddles, sometimes jumping up for 30 seconds and hopping back down. She is still not fully accustomed to being picked up or patted when she's walking around and so I'd rather not force her to cuddle. She seems to be behaving normally otherwise, and I've been keeping an eye on her eating and pooping habits.

None of my other chickens seem to have any issues and I've just had them all treated with antibiotics for a respiratory infection (which the others had but she didn't). Is there anything that could be making her unaffectionate? It's really worrying my boyfriend who loves her cuddles and calls her his lady. I'm really hoping it's not a permanent thing.

 

[GrayChickens]

One of my hens did the same thing. She is probably about to go broody

 

[aart]

She may be getting close to point of lay.....their demeanor can change during that time.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Completely normal for a "teenaged" chicken to change behavior. Likely she will continue being less friendly or even become more unfriendly as she continues maturing, then, once she reaches point of lay, she'll calm down noticeably.

Growing up is hard, even for a chicken.

 

[DucklingLover232]

Yeah in the springtime chickens usually go broody and become protective and aggressive. she’ll get better.