My almost 22 week old Rhode Island Red Has made a little hole in the ground and is laying in it, rolling around and covering herself with dirt. She is pretty set on staying there, not moving when I reach for her or moving around the yard. I just started letting my hens out of the coop & run for a few hours ever day, into a larger fenced in area, so they normally run around and flap a lot, and generally seem to be happy to stretch their legs a bit. I am somewhat concerned because my one ameraucana hen acted the same way for 3 days and then died. I excitedly thought she might be laying, but she then was dead when I went out one morning.
Possible molting or laying behavior crossed my mind, but having another bird die recently has me worried.
Possible molting or laying behavior crossed my mind, but having another bird die recently has me worried.