chicken behavior

I have a chicken who keeps pacing in her run to her coop. when she is in her coop she is scratching all of the bedding out of her nesting box like she is mad that I put it there. But it’s to the point where she is scraping the bottom with her nails and just won’t stop. What in the heck is...

Howdy Everyone! As you may have heard, the Midwest was struck by some pretty devastating tornados and hail this week. I live in one of the areas that was heavily hit. Thoughts and prayers go out to those affected. With Spring and warmer temperatures quickly approaching for many of us, severe...

Asking more because I'm curious then concerned. We've had our 6 chickens (5 hens and 1 rooster) for almost 2 years now. This is their second winter (we live in Vermont and have pretty cold winters). Last winter they spent a considerable amount of time out in their run. This winter they are...

I am a new chicken momma. I have 8 pullets and 2 cockerals that are 5 months old all raised together. One cockeral has been trying to mate with the girls, pulling their heads and tearing out a few feathers They seem afraid to come out of the coop in the morning and stay up high roosting most of...

I only have 3 girls and this is their first time molting. I'm new to this so I'm not sure what normal molting behavior is like. The girls are miserable. They've been hanging out in the coop most of the day (I do suspect it's also possible they are doing this because of the time of year and...

Hello all! I have a bit of an issue. Obviously, all flocks have a pecking order, and in mine the head chook is my BSL, Pinguino. She usually picks on Brigid, our biggest chicken (literally, and figuratively) who is supposed to be a Jersey Giant. Well, I've noticed a few bloody combs in the last...

My hen, Tiffany, went broody beginning of last month. Lost all but one chick, “Lucky”, on hatch day. I took Lucky away and kept her inside her in the brooder to keep her alive in case Tiffany was killing them or something. Chick was lonely, started imprinting on me on day 1 and freaked out...

I’ve seen a variety of nest box styles while perusing chicken coop ideas for my future coop build. I’ve seen several where the nest boxes are inside the coop (either externally or internally), and some where the nest boxes are outside the coop (appears to be for more free ranging plans)...

For the past 2 months my chickens hang out in the coop A LOT. They’ll come out here and there to eat or drink, but it just seems like they’d much rather hang in the coop than in the run! We do give them time out in the grass, supervised, but when not out there they’re usually in the coop. I...

My hen's face often goes from pale pink to bright red. For example she's walking around with a pale face and once she sees something exciting her face turns bright red. At first I thought she might not be feeling well, but she's acting just fine. Her face turns brighter when she sees treats...

i hope this question is not weird but I have this 10-11 week chicken and it sits down next to me sometimes and I pet it’s stomach and it just stares at me or bends it’s neck and follows my finger around when I pet it but it doesn’t run away. This chicken has always been forward and ever since it...

I hadn’t gotten around to making one yet, but after closer inspection and walking the tree line behind their run, I realized they made their own! Good job chickens! I tried googling and looking on here out of sheer curiosity, but couldn’t find anything on HOW chickens make their own bath. Maybe...

I recently became a new chicken owner with a coop and all. I had a basic rundown of care, but I'm learning a lot in these first couple months of what to expect and how to address certain behaviors. I noticed that the chickens are drinking the water from the AC drain hose. I'm thinking that's...

Hello y’all! I need some help. I believe my Buff Orpington has gone broody. For the last few days, she has taken residence in one of the nesting boxes. I’ve seen her out and about twice and that was about it. What is the best way to help her along with this? I’ve read multiple articles but...

I was curious as to what the 'average' or 'normal' napping habits of chickens? What are the sleeping habits of your hens? How often do they nap? Once? Twice? More than 5 times a day? What is considered normal napping habits, and what is considered sick behavior? Maybe this will help other...

I know my fair share of info about chickens. However something totally out of the blue happened. I was doing my chickens, when I realized they were roosted all over the coop. my broody chicken was of course sitting on effs, but every other of my 12 chickens were in a random spot of the coop. I...

Hello! Would love to get some opinions on a situation with my chickens. I'm not sure if this post fits best in 'Chicken Behaviors' or if it's better off in the coop design thread. I have four chickens from my original group. I got four new chicks this past spring and had my worst chicken...

I have a Speckled Sussex hen that likes to jump onto (and sometimes sit on) my back. Is this normal and should I keep letter her do it? I think of it as a way to bond.. but sometimes she does it when I don't expect!

So, i have a hen who happens to have an underlying condition that needs treatment that we can´t give her, to add to that, we can´t really keep multiple hens or anything so we only have her, we have no coop because dogs and possums, and in general, it isn´t the best place for a hen. We are...

I have a hen that's being broody, but not broody. She's a splash Brahma as far as I know. She tidbits the other adult chickens over to her and finds scraps of food. She does that higher-pitched momma cluck as she's walking around the yard. She squawls at me if I get too close and fluffs up...