how do you know when you have a nesty hen?

[bookworm0550]

ok, so miss Evolet is my sweetheart of a bird. never bites me, never shows any aggression towards me, nada. With the others, she's a dynamite at times, but she's usually very laidback and mellow.

Anyway, how do i know if she's hormonal? She was born in Sept 2008 so she'll be 10 months in a few weeks. there has been times where i think she is hormonal, but she's never a terrorist about anything towards me so then i wonder if she really is hormonal cuz she sounds nothing like the other hens i've read about on forums.

should i take signs of her ripping and tucking to be a sign of hormones? or hiding in between sheets and cozy, nest like places to be a sign? or the fact that she's always trying to mate w/ Pan a sign? does it get worse as she approaches egg laying time and that's when i'll see the true hormones? have i just been lucky or is she still too young to really show me the meaning of a nesty hen? i think she'll be fine, i just don't want to lose any of her sweetness. and i don't want to be saying she's hormonal when she isn't.

[BarbieH]

In my experience, shredding tends to go wing-in-wing with hormonal behavior. They get kind of obsessive about shredding. You might also notice that she is spending more and more time in one particular corner of the cage, on the bottom. She might even use her shredded materials to make a little nest there.

In the absence of biting and aggression (the other half of my experience), that's how I would identify hormonal henny behavior. :)

[bookworm0550]

She does like to sit in her foraging tray and corners. She's not too obsessed with it for now. She shreds everything!!!! She'll go into joey or pan's cage and shred their toys.

[dieflying]

i just noticed last night that kath has gotten really good at tucking paper in her rump (she still has one in, one falls out going on, but she's no longer struggling to put them in), so i'm thinking i'm coming up on that too! so far, no territorial-ness, no nest looking areas, not hiding under anything, she's not feeling bitey . . . hopefully she staves it off for a while!

it's interesting to hear how evie is doing since she's around the same age as kath. and pratically identical!

[bookworm0550]

i just noticed last night that kath has gotten really good at tucking paper in her rump (she still has one in, one falls out going on, but she's no longer struggling to put them in), so i'm thinking i'm coming up on that too! so far, no territorial-ness, no nest looking areas, not hiding under anything, she's not feeling bitey . . . hopefully she staves it off for a while!

it's interesting to hear how evie is doing since she's around the same age as kath. and pratically identical!

I totally agree. They look alike and are so close in age. We're gonna be going thru this together at the same time :)

[thebubbleking]

I would say count your blessings if your nesty hen is not being a typical terror lol

[bookworm0550]

oh i do. i'm very grateful she's been her usual sweet self. hopefully she stays this way. think she'll take this deal: "i'll give you paper, all the paper you want, BUT you gotta stay sweet". I'll try the offer later ;)

[Gill]

My Bobble was the complete opposite to what i thought she'd be when she was nesting, she was placid, cute, calm, didnt bite once, allowed scritches whilst on her eggs (she never allows scritches!) Now shes back to normal shes biting me all the time whilst screaming at me as if im trying to kill her!

[LovelySydney]

WHen it comes to nesty hens Ive always just read "Oh you'll KNOW if they are hormonal" - maybe you are getting a super mellow hen which is NEVER a bad thing!!!