Unusual and/or Problematic Behaviours

Behavioural problems are unfortunately fairly common in backyard chickens because they are often kept in conditions that aren’t allowing them to express their normal behaviours or are causing them to feel stressed out.  This section will do a quick review of normal bird behaviours that may seem abnormal to you before diving into some of the more common signs that your birds are under stress.

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When to See a Vet

Your birds need to see a vet if you see any of the following signs:

These may be signs that your flock has a medical condition like Marek’s disease or a toxicity that will need medical treatment.

Normal Behaviours

Chickens naturally have some weird and wonderful behaviours that all add to their charm as backyard companions.  If your bird seems bright, alert, and otherwise healthy, it is possible that the unusual or problematic behaviours you are seeing may actually just be a normal part of what makes a chicken a chicken. 

Some common normal things you may notice are:

  • Rolling around in the dirt and shaking their feathers (dust-bathing)
  • Re-arranging feathers over their body paying particular attention to the base of their tail (preening)
  • Scratching at the ground turning over bedding, soil, and/or plants (foraging, dust-bathing, or creating a nest)
  • Light pecking, pushing, chest bumping, and staring at other birds (establishing a pecking order)
  • Refusing to leave the nest when they are sitting on a clutch of fertile eggs (normal brooding)
    • Note: this can also be considered a problem behaviour if there are no eggs in the nest or if a hen that is incubating eggs is not eating, drinking, or pooing enough

For more information on what is normal behaviour for backyard poultry, check out our Behaviour & Routines section.

Abnormal Behaviours

Most behavioural problems in birds that otherwise appear active and physically healthy with a good appetite are caused by stress from not having the right environment and set-up for their needs. 

If you haven’t already done so, check out our Preventive Care guides to make sure your birds have the right conditions and care to prevent things from going wrong as much as you possibly can.

Broody Hen

Broody hens refuse to leave the nest box, try to save their eggs, and refuse to lay more eggs.  This is a natural instinct of hens in preparation for wanting to incubate a clutch of eggs caused by a release of a hormone (prolactin) from the brain after she lays a certain number of eggs   Some breeds are more likely to be broody than others. Not removing eggs frequently enough may help trigger it.

The best ways to manage broody hens are:

  • Breed selection: Choose breeds that aren’t broody for new additions to your flock
  • Relocate the hen: If just moving her out of the nest box doesn’t work, you may need to move her into a separate area form the flock where she doesn’t have access to the nest, but can still see other birds. After a week, try re-introducing her to the flock.  If she becomes broody again, you may need to repeat this process. It can take at least a month before she will start producing eggs again.

 

Check out this video from Sez the Vet on How to Manage Broody Hens.

Feather Pecking

This is a sign of aggression where hens will usually peck at the neck or vent of other birds causing feather loss, cuts, and bruising. While hens will normally lightly peck at each other to establish the pecking order or as part of grooming, if they are causing damage then it is a sign that there is something wrong.

The most common causes are:

  • Overcrowding – there are too many birds for the space, number or nest boxes, feeders, and waterers
  • Mixed flocks – bullies are more likely to pick on birds of different ages and different colours to themselves
  • Boredom – if there are not enough activities to keep bullies entertained, they will pick on other birds for entertainment
  • Protein deficiency – if they are not getting enough from the diet, they will try getting it from other sources including feathers from the ground or from their flock mates
  • Too much light – when the lights are too bright or on for too long, birds can become irritable and take out their frustration on their neighbours

This requires some troubleshooting to work through those different potential causes.

  • Space – your birds need at least 0.4 m2 per bird in the coop and 1 m2 per bird in the run with more space being better. Check out our section on Coop & Run Size for more information.
  • Mixed-flocks – if possible, set up your flock so birds are similar colours. Try separating the birds to see if it makes a difference in the social dynamics. Consider re-homing the aggressive bird.
  • Boredom – provide your birds with different food-based, sensory-based, and physical enrichment activities on a daily basis.  Check out our  Poultry Enrichment section for more ideas.
  • Protein – Layers do best on a commercial diet with 16% t0 18% protein.  Make sure they are getting at least 120g per bird per day and try increasing the protein levels. Check out our section on Feed for more details.
  • Lighting – If you are using supplemental lighting the coop or run area, only low wattage lights are needed. A single 25 to 40 watt bulb on a timer that turns the lights on before sunset and off at about 10 pm is sufficient.  Make sure the birds are also not exposed to motion-sensing or automatic flood lights that may be turned on elsewhere on your property overnight. Check out our Lighting section for more details.

Repetitive Pecking

This is where you may notice hens repetitively pecking at empty feeders, containers, walls, or other objects in their enclosure.

The most common causes of repetitive pecking are:

  • Hunger – if birds are not getting enough feed or have trouble accessing the feeders, they will feel hungry
  • Too much light – high intensity, bright light and/or too many hours of daylight can make birds stressed and irritable because it is difficult for them to relax
  • Boredom – if you don’t provide birds with enough activities to keep their minds occupied, they will create their own entertainment
  • Make sure there is at least 120g of feed per bird per day in the feeder and enough space around the feeders so everyone has easy access when they are first fed in the morning.  Check out our sections on Coop & Run Size and Feeders for more details.
  • If you are using supplemental lighting the coop or run area, only low wattage lights are needed. A single 25 to 40 watt bulb on a timer that turns the lights on before sunset and off at about 10 pm is sufficient.  Make sure the birds are also not exposed to motion-sensing or automatic flood lights that may be turned on elsewhere on your property overnight. Check out our Lighting section for more details.
  • Provide your birds with different food-based, sensory-based, and physical enrichment activities on a daily basis.  Check out our  Poultry Enrichment section for more ideas.

Not Using Nest Boxes

It can definitely be annoying when you have hide-and-seek to find out where your hens have laid their eggs when they have decided they don’t want to use the nest boxes. 

The most common reasons are:

  • Nest boxes too high – if nest boxes are > 45cm off the ground with no easy access, birds might not be able to easily jump up
  • Clueless hens – young pullets in particular may not know that they are supposed to lay eggs in the nest.
  • Red mites – if you have an infestation of red mites, your hens might be getting bitten while they are in the nest and want to avoid it.
  • Curtains – if you are using curtains to provide extra privacy, hens might not realise there is a nest back there
  • Wrong location – hens like quiet and dark places to lay eggs and will not feel comfortable in a noisy, bright, or busy area. 

Here are some things you can try for troubleshooting:

  • Nest boxes too high – the nest boxes should be about 45 cm off the ground with a bar or ledge in front that allows the bird to easily hop in
  • Clueless hens – Leaving wooden eggs in the nest can help.  You can also try having the nest boxes initially on the ground and then gradually raising them if the pullets start laying in them.
  • Red mites – look in the nest boxes and around the cracks/crevices in your coop for clusters of small red dots. Check out our section our section on treating red mites (Coming Soon)
  • Curtains – try either removing the curtains completely or tying them back until the birds are comfortable entering and leaving the nest box
  • Wrong location –  The best time to check nest box environment is around mid-morning when hens normally want to lay. If it’s too hot/cold, too noisy, or too bright, move the nest boxes to a different location in your coop.

Eating Eggs

All it takes is one broken egg and one curious hen before birds learn that eating eggs can be tasty. This can lead to problems with hens destroying all their eggs before you have a chance to collect them for yourself.

The two main options for managing this are:

  • Switch to a rollaway nest box that has a sloped floor so the eggs roll away from the chicken into a closed collection area.
  • Place wooden eggs in the nest. The hen may find it surprising and unpleasant to peck a wooden egg causing her to stop.