- Jan 12, 2011
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As someone who's never been near a chicken except for an emotionally scarring visit to my uncle's farm at age 5 when I was butted by a goat and chased by a roo within 5 minutes of arrival!
I find the antics of our two adoptee hens to be amusing. One thing that is both "amusing" and perhaps "odd": the two ladies seem to be sharing egg duties. Camilla the Leghorn pops out an egg a day, like clockwork (we know they're hers because they're white). Nothing from Nigella the Austrolorps. BUT, and here's the possibly "odd" part: Nigella seems to be doing the bulk of the egg-sitting behavior! Now that we have them in their new coop, it's much easier to observe the behaviors. Camilla lays the egg, then comes out of the house and gives a big Shout Out to the world (is it usual for a hen to let out a big whoop and a holler after dropping an egg? Serious question). Then she chows down (I'd imagine making eggs is hungry work), and Nigella goes and sits on the egg. I haven't actually caught Camilla sitting on any of her own eggs, she seems to figure that if she's doing all the hard work and Nigella is eggless for whatever reason, then the least Nigella can do is sit on them.
Is this kind of division of labor common? Or are my hens just a bit "weird"?

Is this kind of division of labor common? Or are my hens just a bit "weird"?
