Nesty hen behavior?

[bbslovie]

Hi, well Bea had some rope perches in her cage that she decided to start shredding.:omg: I started finding shredded remnants on the bottom floor of the cage (there's a separation between the floor and the bottom of the cage). Then I noticed she was spending time on the floor of her cage. :confused: She's eating, drinking, pooping fine and active, not fluffled up or acting like she's sick so I'm wondering if maybe she might be getting ready to lay? :confused: She acts completely normal other than that! I changed out everything in the cage to natural wood perches. I've tried to feel for an egg and I can't tell if there's one there or not. How long does it take for an egg to form and a hen to lay? Any advice would be great! :blush:

Barb :)

[dmj64]

Yes, shredding and huddling up on the bottom of the cage is nesty hen behavior. My Little Sassy (a confirmed egg-layer) is doing it now, just as you described Bea doing, but not laying. Bea may or may not lay eggs. The 'torpedo butt' is unmistakable. I'm pretty sure there is a link in the Resource Library with pics of a luvie in laying condition. If Bea looks like that, you can surely feel it while (gently) holding her belly up and gently probing at the base of her tail feathers (you will see where).

Another Nesty Hen! Good Luck!

[bbslovie]

Hi, I'm trying to figure out if I should be worried about Bea's behavior or should I be expecting an egg. Anybody have any ideas? I'd appreciate it greatly!

Thanks,
Barb

[Chickobee]

Well, someone once told me that worrying won't get you anywhere. The behavior you describe is very normal hen behavior. Some of them are very determined girls!

You can try rearranging her cage frequently and even moving it to another location to try to throw her off but she may still lay an egg. If she has a sleeping tent, or any shreddable materials in her cage you will also want to remove those because they encourage nesty behaviors.

Right now I have several hens who are acting like they'd like to set up housekeeping. They are destroying anything that has any little bits they can stuff into a corner to try to make a nest. I am being very dilligent about removing those every single day.

You can do everything you can think of to deter them and some hens will still lay eggs--whether or not they have a mate or a nestbox. Then, if they do, you will want to let her finish out her clutch. If you take her eggs away she may continue to lay more to replace the one(s) you took away and this is not good for her.

If she does lay an egg you can put a small tissue box or a bowl into the cage for her to use as a nest. You can boil the eggs if they are fertile and give them back to her. Then let her sit on them about 24 days, or until she abandons them. At that time you can remove the nest and the eggs.

Good luck. And, don't worry too much. Your hen will still do whatever she wants!

[bbslovie]

Hi, thanks much for the advice. She's been spending more time on the wood perches today so hopefully redecorating has helped! We'll have to wait and see! I'll let you know... :)

Barb

[BarbieH]

She'll start demolishing those perches pretty soon. :) I have a hen who's so determined, she finally started building a nest with seed hulls from her food dish. At some point, there's no stopping them.

[LovelySydney]

*phew* for having a boy!! haha no offense to your Bea!!! = )

Has she built a nest?