{"id":102640,"date":"2022-09-28T07:00:01","date_gmt":"2022-09-28T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/admin.hobbyfarms.com\/?p=102640"},"modified":"2022-09-28T15:54:07","modified_gmt":"2022-09-28T19:54:07","slug":"some-chicken-behavior-can-be-downright-wacky","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hobbyfarms.com\/some-chicken-behavior-can-be-downright-wacky\/","title":{"rendered":"Some Chicken Behavior Can Be Downright Wacky!"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hens can have extremely goofy chicken behavior and do some of the wackiest things. This is probably part of the appeal of backyard flocks! If you\u2019ve ever wondered if your chicken\u2019s wacky behavior was normal or there\u2019s something wrong with it, you\u2019re probably not alone.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

New chicken-keepers may be especially confused by some of the bizarre behavior of these funny fowl. Some birds act even wackier than others and stump seasoned chicken tenders and experts alike. <\/span><\/p>\n

Here are some common wacky chicken behavior questions and advice on what, if anything, you should do about it.<\/span><\/p>\n

I\u2019m Not Dead!<\/b><\/h2>\n

You\u2019ve just found your favorite hen laying over on its side with one wing stretched out, looking nearly catatonic. Don\u2019t worry. It\u2019s probably not dead or even injured. Iit\u2019s actually just sunbathing.<\/p>\n

Although it looks strange, this is completely normal behavior and just one of the wacky things that chickens do.<\/p>\n

\u201cA normal behavior that scares a lot of people is sunbathing,\u201d says Richard Blatchford, an assistant professor of extension, small to large-scale poultry, for the department of animal science at the University of California, Davis<\/a>. Blatchford specializes in the husbandry, behavior and welfare of poultry and often talks with poultry producers and backyard flock-keepers about behavioral issues and how to change or address nuisance behaviors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe birds will just go down on their sides, spread a wing out and become motionless on the ground,\u201d he says. \u201cIf people don\u2019t realize that chickens sunbathe, they kind of look dead. <\/span><\/p>\n

“Chickens tend to kind of zone out when they\u2019re sunbathing, so you can get really close to them before they get up or move. I think this adds to the concern there\u2019s something wrong with the bird because they never just sit there when you walk up to them. <\/span><\/p>\n

“However, it\u2019s totally normal. The bird is fine. They\u2019ll finish their sunbath, get up and do their normal stuff.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Read more: Care is key to comfort when chickens are molting.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

Chickens Gone Bald<\/b><\/h2>\n

If you remember when your first chicken went through its first molt, you may have seriously panicked over your bird going bald. Not necessarily a chicken behavior issue, the first molt can be freaky. But molting is completely normal.<\/p>\n

However, there are a couple of reasons why birds lose feathers outside of molt that aren\u2019t \u201cnormal\u201d but may or may not be concerning. And some of the associated chicken behavior can be bad, even dangerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe most common scenario is aggression,\u201d Blatchford says. \u201cIf there\u2019s aggression in a flock, birds show [it] by pecking. If they\u2019re really aggressive, they end up pulling feathers out in particular parts of the body. You may notice a chicken missing feathers on the back of the head and neck, around the vent and sometimes the back. Feather loss due to aggression isn\u2019t necessarily an issue for the birds themselves. They should grow the feathers back in the next molt.<\/p>\n

\u201cHowever, if it\u2019s in the middle of winter and they\u2019ve lost a lot of feathers, it might be an issue because they can\u2019t thermoregulate as well. The biggest issue is it makes them susceptible to skin injury because their skin is really thin. If there\u2019s continued aggression, a bird pecking in the same area may break the skin. Anytime there\u2019s any injury, then start to worry. If there\u2019s blood, you could end up getting some form of cannibalism happening, and you don\u2019t want that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Blatchford advises cleaning up any blood quickly and ensuring there isn\u2019t any left. He also recommends getting an ointment to put on the wounds or an antipeck spray or lotion, which helps heal the wound and keep other birds from pecking at it.<\/p>\n

Cold weather and open wounds are the only times he says you should worry about a bird not having feathers in an area. Otherwise, they\u2019re OK, and the feathers should grow back.<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause feather loss is often a sign of aggression, you want to look into it in your flock, especially if it results in injury,\u201d he says. \u201cYou must try to figure out who\u2019s the one being aggressive. It could be one or multiple birds. You may have to do something with an aggressive bird, such as remove it from the flock or try to do some intervention to reduce the aggression.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe second common reason for feather loss outside of molt could be a health issue,\u201d Blatchford adds. \u201cUsually, you don\u2019t see feather loss associated with a particular disease, but it could be something like mites or lice. They\u2019re going to damage the feathers. Mites less so because they\u2019re actually blood drinkers, while lice are feather chewers.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A chicken with lice might not lose their feathers, but the feathers may become such poor quality that it looks like it has gaps. You should always check the bird over visually if you notice feather loss. Do this by parting the feathers and looking for little black or brown spots that may be running along the skin. These are bugs and you should treat the bird to get rid of them.<\/p>\n

Birds Like to Bathe<\/b><\/h2>\n

If you see your birds writhing and wallowing in the dirt, throwing dust up everywhere, they\u2019re not having a seizure. This particular chicken behavior? They’re just giving themselves a dust bath. The previously mentioned bugs are a big part of the reason chickens do dust baths. Dust helps remove excess oil from feathers and makes them less desirable for parasites such as lice and mites.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Dust baths are a natural cleaner and insect repellent rolled into one. And chickens seem to have fun doing it. <\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t be surprised if they stretch out on the ground and spread their wings for an enjoyable round of catatonic sunbathing when they finish their dust bath. It\u2019s this wacky behavior is pretty normal when you’re a chicken.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"chicken
Moira McGhee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Hide & Seek\u00a0<\/span><\/b><\/h2>\n

Some chickens like to play hide and seek. And some are really good at it, especially if they\u2019re hiding a nest of eggs somewhere.<\/p>\n

However, a chicken that hides from its flock mates may be ill or hurt and doesn\u2019t want to be picked on. Chickens often peck at injured birds due to the social order of the flock and their natural curiosity. Worse, a bleeding injury could lead to cannibalism, an extremely gross behavior you definitely don\u2019t want to see. You should quickly remove injured or dead birds from the flock to prevent it.<\/p>\n

Blatchford says another reason birds might hide is if they\u2019re being picked on a lot by the dominant birds. \u201cThey may be hesitant to come out around certain individuals,\u201d he says. \u201cIt kind of depends on how big your flock is. If you have a larger flock, oftentimes, the really dominant individuals and really subordinate individuals don\u2019t mix very much. They stay separate from each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you may see a group of birds that are always doing stuff together or they\u2019re the first birds to come and eat,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you\u2019re giving treats, they\u2019re the ones that come up first. Then, you have other ones that kind of stay away until the dominant birds disappear. The second group of birds knows they\u2019re going to get pecked at, picked on or chased away if they come too close to the more dominant individuals. Staying away is one of the ways they avoid aggression.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

However, if you have a smaller flock, the lower-ranking birds might not always be able to get away from the more dominant ones. Worse, if you happen to have one of those very dominant, somewhat aggressive birds in your flock, some lower-ranking birds may try to hide from them.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou may also see a lot of pacing or stress behaviors because they\u2019re not really able to escape from them,\u201d Blatchford says. \u201cThey\u2019re doing their best to get away from them, but they can\u2019t quite do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also a possibility that a bird is broody, and she wants to sit on eggs. If a hen has a chance to hide a nest, she usually will. You might notice that some of your birds disappear, then pop back up with some chicks in tow.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s actually happened to me before,\u201d Blatchford says. \u201cA hen that I really liked disappeared. My flock was free-ranging and I\u2019d had a hawk take some before. I just figured she must have been a casualty. About three weeks later, out she came with a couple of little chicks.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"chicken
Moira McGhee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mean Mama Hens<\/b><\/h2>\n

Some hens love being a mom and will actually go around adopting the chicks from other hens. Blatchford says some breeds, such as Orpingtons, are known for being really good moms. Then, you have the opposite.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome hens are just bad moms,\u201d he says. \u201cLike most animals, birds that are new moms tend not to be as good at it. They\u2019re learning and figuring out what they\u2019re supposed to do. <\/span><\/p>\n

“If it\u2019s the bird\u2019s first hatch, maybe even her second hatch, she may be meaner to the chicks because she doesn\u2019t really know exactly what she\u2019s doing. Hopefully, that gets better with time. However, some birds just aren\u2019t good moms ever. I\u2019m not exactly sure why some birds are a bit more aggressive with their chicks than others.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s probably normal to see a hen give her chick a little peck here and there as a signal that whatever the chick is doing isn\u2019t right. However, constant picking goes beyond wacky behavior and into bad behavior.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome birds will actually kill chicks,\u201d Blatchford s<\/span>ays. \u201cIt could also be stress in the flock. Stress makes chickens do really weird things, like us. If she\u2019s under stress, she may be rerouting that stress into aggression toward her chicks.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the aggression and pecking look bad, <\/span>Blatch\u00ad<\/span>ford recommends taking the chicks away. You <\/span>can rear the chicks the same way you would if you\u2019d gotten them from a hatchery, and they\u2019ll be just fine.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis sounds horrible,\u201d he says, \u201cbut they don\u2019t need their mom. They\u2019re precocial individuals. They can find food. You just have to show them where it is and then provide artificial heat for them. We can take the role of mom over if need be.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Read more: Some chicken behavior become bad habits, but you can help.<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

The next time your bird acts strange, do some research and talk to experienced chicken tenders to see if it\u2019s something concerning or if your bird is just being a chicken. As Blatchford likes to say, \u201cWe write books about them, but they don\u2019t know how to read, so they never do what they\u2019re supposed to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

More Information<\/h2>\n

Roosters Crow at Dawn, Right?<\/b><\/h5>\n

It\u2019s not just hens that can show chicken behavior a person might consider wacky. The male of the species may appear more aloof but also do funny things. One of the most frequent questions Richard Blatchford, an extension assistant professor at the University of California, Davis, gets about roosters is why it\u2019s crowing all day long or in the middle of the night.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re conditioned to think roosters crow in the morning because we\u2019ve seen movies and cartoons all our lives where the sun comes up and the rooster crows,\u201d he says. \u201cThey do crow a lot in the morning because the air quality helps the acoustics, so their crow travels further at that time of day. However, crowing is actually a territorial behavior. Essentially, what\u2019s happening is the birds crow to tell their neighbor that they\u2019re still there and that they\u2019re still holding their territory, so don\u2019t come in and try to invade me.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anytime a rooster feels like their territory is getting threatened, they will typically crow. It\u2019s one of the first low-intensity aggressive behaviors they do in that situation. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt could be something like you\u2019re in an urban area and a car goes by with a loud radio that they\u2019re not used to,\u201d <\/span>Blatchford says. \u201cThat could trigger (him) to crow because there\u2019s something different in the environment and so he\u2019s alerting, \u2018I\u2019m here and this is my territory.\u2019\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Crowing in the middle of the night can be attributed to several things. A predator could be sniffing around the coop. Exterior lights coming on or car headlights going by could also trigger a rooster to sound off. Anything that disturbs the male can cause a round of raucous crowing your neighbors might not appreciate, hence the typical rule in urban areas banning roosters.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Usually, something is cuing him or stimulating him to crow at weird hours. If it happens on a regular basis, there\u2019s probably something in the environment disturbing him. <\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s just a matter of figuring out what\u2019s making that disturbance. If you have the ability to stop it, the crowing <\/span>should go away.<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in the September\/October 2022 issue of\u00a0<\/em>Chickens\u00a0magazine.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Some chicken behavior can be downright wacky, which is definitely the appeal of backyard poultry for many. Check out some weird things your birds may do.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":316,"featured_media":102645,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[424,10726,10458,10728,10456],"tags":[2533,10996,3649,3656,1704],"class_list":["post-102640","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-animals","category-chickens-101","category-farm-garden","category-health-and-nutrition","category-poultry","tag-chicken-behavior","tag-dust-bathing","tag-molting","tag-parasites","tag-roosters"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSome Chicken Behavior Can Be Downright Wacky! - Hobby Farms<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Some chicken behavior can be downright wacky, which is definitely the appeal of backyard poultry for many. 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