Why does my hen do this ANNOYING thing almost every day?

[ddschicks]

One of my EEs has always been an odd ball. She has always been flightier than the other hens... and has even looked different her whole life. For a while I thought she was going to turn out to be a rooster because her body shape was so different than the other hens. I also thought she may be a bantam for a while. As of now, all I know is that she is weird.

Anyway, the thing that bothers me is that whenever I go to fill the water, she jumps up on top and tries to drink the drops of water that missed the hole. I use a nipple waterer and I fill it with a pitcher. Obviously it is much harder for me to fill once she is up there making it tilt and spin. And the other chickens can't drink while she does that because the darn thing is swinging everywhere.

It's not that big of a deal, but i was just wondering if you guys could think of a reason for why she acts like this. She probably just like to drink from a pan of water instead, but even when I bring out a pan of water, she gets as high up as possible before drinking. Because it's been so cold lately, Ive been putting out a black rubber bowl full of water, and a put a brick in the middle to stabilize it. While everyone else is drinking from the edge, Sesame is standing up there with one foot on the egde and one on the brick

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[JaeG]

If I manage to spill fresh water some of mine try and lap it up, rather than drinking out of the newly filled waterer. Big or small birds are funny little individuals!

 

[Annemade]

She looks just like several of my eggers. I have a couple that always have to stand in the middle of the poop board every time I clean. I think some are just nosey and have to be in the middle of whatever you are doing.

 

[ddschicks]

She looks just like several of my eggers.

I guess i was just lucky and got a variety! Here's all four of my EEs

 

[rosemarythyme]

Most chickens prefer drinking out of a cup/puddle/anything instead of a nipple waterer.

If mine see me out there with a jug for refilling their waterer, they all put their heads into the jug instead, until I take it away.

 

[User395221]

I don't think it's just animals who behave that way (my dogs and cats do it just as much as the birds), I think people do it too. There could be a jug of water on a table and if somebody approaches with a jug on a tray, people will be interested. "ooh, whatcha got?" is natural curiosity.

 

[Better Than Rubies]

I guess i was just lucky and got a variety! Here's all four of my EEsView attachment 1228073 View attachment 1228074 View attachment 1228075

Hey there! You have some gorgeous birds, but the one in the last picture...um, I'm positive that's not an EE. One, it's comb looks like a single one instead of a pea, and two, it looks like I see a white earlobe? Regardless of what it is, which she's probably just a different hybrid, she's very pretty.

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

I have a couple of birds that do the exact same thing... They've even tipped the whole waterer over before, while I'm trying to fill it, and spilled everything all over the place... not fun in a Polar Vortex, or Arctic Blast, or whatever the weatherman is calling this now! Gotta love chickens! Definitely not a dull hobby! BTW the white and black EE in your 2nd pic looks just like my lovely Lady! My girl lays the most beautiful teal blue eggs... when it's not -25*, that is... she's on strike right now. Her and my 10 other hens. My ducks are the only ones not free-loading right now!

 

[lissalischicks]

I agree with everyone that has posted. All my chickens do something like that. They run off, dirty water, water that I spilled, puddles, etc. I have tried putting clean water next to the puddle as a hint and they look at me like... why'd you do that? So then I put the bowl on the puddle and they drink around the water bowl

 

[lazy gardener]

Hey there! You have some gorgeous birds, but the one in the last picture...um, I'm positive that's not an EE. One, it's comb looks like a single one instead of a pea, and two, it looks like I see a white earlobe? Regardless of what it is, which she's probably just a different hybrid, she's very pretty.

I think that last one IS an EE. I think the white that you are seeing is the feathers covering her ear, not her ear lobe. And that comb is still classified as a pea comb. (unless my vision, and the camera angle are an issue for me) Some pea combs are pretty... un-pea like. And some EE even have straight combs.

As for birds drinking water droplets, very common! A lot of animals are attracted to moving water. My birds will chase a drop of condensation as it drips down a piece of plastic. I had a cat who would lay in the sink to drink from the trickling faucet. She'd lay there, with her fat body covering the drain. She'd lick the water from the faucet, as the sink slowly filled up with water around her!