jittery hens.....

[polo]

.Hi all,
My girls have been settling down really well together over the last couple of weeks - the two getting picked have rallied now they have finished moulting. The last couple of days they have been acting slightly oddly- overly alert especially when i let them out in the morning . Just a little odd really and some funny nestbox activity. One is on and off the nest box lots.

Could the change in weather be gettimg to them or is a fox sniffing round at night. What do you think?

[Nicos]

Could be a fox..we had a female fox calling in our garden a couple of nights ago....about 50yds from the coop

[Suechooks]

If they are laying (?) you need to check the one who is on and off the nest box as she could be egg bound which needs to be dealt with pronto. However if they'e not laying yet it could be the prelude to the first egg.

[polo]

Thanks to you both - will keep an eye out for foxes! Hope that one stays away from your girls. Sue - yes she is laying but seems ok. Will keep a close eye on her..

[Hilary B]

Any chance it is a smaller nuisance, eg Roland...?

[polo]

It could be- one of the cats dragged the biggest rat through the cat flap - surprised they both got hrough together. Must post the photo! I bring feed in at night and the cats are patrolling so we will see.

[Hilary B]

Apart from the risk of disease, a rat is little threat to a healthy adult hen (unless she is brooding eggs or chicks), but if one is persistently visiting, it might make them 'fidgetty'.

[jessmorris]

Might you have an avian predator like a sparrow hawk (more common than you might think - we have one on our housing estate) - cheeping chicks seem especially to attract them. Also my hens are nervous of big birds - if a heron flies overhead they dive into the bushes. Wondered if migrating geese overhead (which will be coming into the country thick and fast from colder climes now) could make them nervous. Don't know really, just observations from my own girlies here on the edge of Lancaster, the Forest of Bowland and Morecambe Bay....
JM

[polo]

There is a sparrow hawk close by. My daughter and i watched it devour a dove just before i got the girls. Think I have it sorted niw. Could have been a mix of all of the above but they also started eating their eggs which helped in a bizarre way. I reckon I got a dodgy bag of layers- once I gave them a few days of milk and poultry spice they were fine. Was quite worried about the egg eating so put mustard in an empty shell but you wouldn't believe it- they all scoffed the mustard like it was their favourite food! They didnt do it with tabasco though :-)

All back to normal now...... Thanks for all the advice