Chicken nesting?

[r2kay]

A wayward chicken moved into my residential backyard a couple of weeks ago that I thought might have been sick the last couple of days because it didn't appear to be actively foraging. But when I looked out there this "cold" South Florida morning, first I thought it was foraging and digging for food but then realized it looked like it was moving around actually digging a hole. I'm wondering it they dig holes to prepare a nest and if that's what she's doing, will she be able to hatch and raise chicks without some kind of support or intervention??? To complicate matters, there's a neighborhood cat that frequents the yard also that I've seen actually walk by the chicken showing no interest in it.

 

[nuthatched]

It sounds like she's just making dust wallows.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

A wayward chicken moved into my residential backyard a couple of weeks ago that I thought might have been sick the last couple of days because it didn't appear to be actively foraging. But when I looked out there this "cold" South Florida morning, first I thought it was foraging and digging for food but then realized it looked like it was moving around actually digging a hole. I'm wondering it they dig holes to prepare a nest and if that's what she's doing, will she be able to hatch and raise chicks without some kind of support or intervention??? To complicate matters, there's a neighborhood cat that frequents the yard also that I've seen actually walk by the chicken showing no interest in it.

Do you have a picture?
She could be making a dust-bath. If she is collecting leaves, sticks etc. and throwing it over her 'shoulder' she probably is making a nest. Do you know of any roosters nearby? If there are none, she wont be able to have chicks (obviously).
If the cat isn’t displaying interest, then I wouldn’t be too worried.

 

[r2kay]

Do you have a picture?
She could be making a dust-bath. If she is collecting leaves, sticks etc. and throwing it over her 'shoulder' she probably is making a nest. Do you know of any roosters nearby? If there are none, she wont be able to have chicks (obviously).
If the cat isn’t displaying interest, then I wouldn’t be too worried.

Thank you for the replies. No picture. My camera's broken and I don't have a smart phone. But the dust bath makes sense since she was kind of flapping her wings a bit. It's a Brown Leghorn that someone must have been keeping that got away. So I don't know whether there's a rooster in the equation or not. Though I think I've heard distant cock-a-doodle-dooing previously. I'll keep my eyes peeled for developments and hope that the owner sees my craigslist post and rescues her from her exile. Thanks again.

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

Thank you for the replies. No picture. My camera's broken and I don't have a smart phone. But the dust bath makes sense since she was kind of flapping her wings a bit. It's a Brown Leghorn that someone must have been keeping that got away. So I don't know whether there's a rooster in the equation or not. Though I think I've heard distant cock-a-doodle-dooing previously. I'll keep my eyes peeled for developments and hope that the owner sees my craigslist post and rescues her from her exile. Thanks again.

Okay! Sounds like she is dustbathing

 

[Mrs. K]

The first time I found the dust bathing years ago, I thought they were dying! Laying on their side, half buried, kicking a leg, flapping a wing like in the death throes. Then they jumped up, shook off and went on.