What is my hen trying to tell me

[Chloejay]

She'll always want more. Wish she was mine!

haha thanks for all your help. She is lovely - just weird.

 

[CHlCKEN]

Thanks Kathrine, that’s interesting. I hope she doesn’t feel threatened by me. She’s always friendly. I wasn’t sure if she wanted more chicks or something completely different. Maybe the laying flat is part of that?

I think she feels slightly threatened, probably because she is afraid that you will disturb her nest. The broody instinct is kicking in and she wants to be a mother, I have a chicken who “lays flat” like yours when a certain higher ranking chicken comes up to her. It’s not a squat, but laying flat. She is submitting to the other hen and allowing her to pick on her. Usually this is a tug or two the hackles. I’m not sure why she would be submitting to you like that. Perhaps she is just protecting her nest and feels threatened enough to take that position.

 

[aart]

That definitely looks & sounds like a broody

This^^^ without a doubt.
She may wean the chicks soon and go broody again.

...or she could be ready to lay again, but is still broody clucking to her chicks.

 

[Chloejay]

I think she feels slightly threatened, probably because she is afraid that you will disturb her nest. The broody instinct is kicking in and she wants to be a mother, I have a chicken who “lays flat” like yours when a certain higher ranking chicken comes up to her. It’s not a squat, but laying flat. She is submitting to the other hen and allowing her to pick on her. Usually this is a tug or two the hackles. I’m not sure why she would be submitting to you like that. Perhaps she is just protecting her nest and feels threatened enough to take that position.

Thanks Kathrine, it’s very interesting. She did do it well before she was a mother and is continuing to do it now with her babies. But maybe like many have said, she wants more. The laying flat is interesting too, she is the alpha so maybe you’re right and she is just submitting to me in a weird way. Generally she follows me around and jumps on my lap, so I don’t think she’s scared of me and she does that noise mumma hens make to their babies when there’s food right before going flat, so I took it has some sort of happy thing?

 

[Chloejay]

This^^^ without a doubt.
She may wean the chicks soon and go broody again.

...or she could be ready to lay again, but is still broody clucking to her chicks.

Thanks, let’s see what happens

 

[Chloejay]

Hi all,
For anyone that may be interested my hen never went broody again. I think she just develops weird habits and then changes them for something else. What was showed in the video went on for months but she never went broody again. Now her new thing is when she jumps on me she puts her head under my arm and just stays there if I move her, she puts her head back again straight away.

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

She is just odd and I love her for that. Wish I had an arm tucker.