Hen Isolating Herself?

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SpokaneWA1988

SpokaneWA1988

In the Brooder
6 Years
Jun 10, 2013
32
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I tried searching around for some answers but couldn't find much so I decided to post here. We have a year old Leghorn hen who over the past few days has been acting strangely. She's always been one of our more docile & reserved hens but over the past couple of days, she's been isolating herself from the rest of the chickens. Last night, I found her roosting by herself in the coop while the other ones were roosting out in the run. Tonight, she was by herself on the lower roost in the run, while the rest were on the upper roost. Shes also been hanging out in the nesting box a little more (I.e yesterday she laid in the morning and then she was in the box again in the afternoon but didn't lay). She's been laying regularly but today her egg was soft which hasn't happened in a long time.

She is responsive when we touch her and doesn't appear to have lost weight. Could she just be on the low end of the pecking order right now or are these signs indicative of something else?

Thanks in advance!
 
sounds like she's going through the molt, she'll return to normal in a few weeks with a lovely new set of feathers.
 
12 months old is probably too young to be molting, especially this time of year, but I suppose it's possible.

How many chickens in how much coop (feet by feet)?
What are you feeding?
Any other stresses been going on, predator attacks, new birds, change in housing?

You might want to isolate her for a few days so you can monitor her eating, drinking, pooping.
 
My older hens are all 13 mos old and all have been in various levels of a molt for over a month. Also a couple soft shelled eggs or much lower egg count. But they all seem in good health and socialization is not different. I would also suspect a health issue on top of it.
 
Last edited:
I am worried about one of my hens. I have 5 hens and a rooster. This is a RIR and she has always been docile but my best egg layer. They are all under a year old. This one has been going through a slight molt where the feathers are missing above her tail. Last night she was nested on the bottom of the coop and all the others were on the tall roosing bar. Today I let them out (they all free range) and she did not come out. She was puffed up in the coop. Temp is in the low 30s but not quite freezing.

I put some scratch out and she didn't come. I picked her up and got her out of the coop she went to a corner of the porch and just stood there. I checked her vent and it is not pasty but it was pulsing open and shut.

Any suggestions or advise. Prob is I am going to be gone for the next few days and can't keep an eye on her.
 
McK Farms said:
I am worried about one of my hens. I have 5 hens and a rooster. This is a RIR and she has always been docile but my best egg layer. They are all under a year old. This one has been going through a slight molt where the feathers are missing above her tail. Last night she was nested on the bottom of the coop and all the others were on the tall roosing bar. Today I let them out (they all free range) and she did not come out. She was puffed up in the coop. Temp is in the low 30s but not quite freezing.

I put some scratch out and she didn't come. I picked her up and got her out of the coop she went to a corner of the porch and just stood there. I checked her vent and it is not pasty but it was pulsing open and shut.

Any suggestions or advise. Prob is I am going to be gone for the next few days and can't keep an eye on her.
Click to expand...

Her behavior is normal for a molting chicken. They get crabby and just want to be left alone. How is her crop? Do you feel food in it?
 
I have a 5 month old Buff Brahma hen who has isolated herself from the rest of the flock. She doesn't appear to be losing any feathers, looks healthy, eyes clear and is eating well. Is this normal? A couple of my hens started laying eggs about two weeks ago. She is roosting with the flock at night. I just want to make sure she's okay and find out if this is normal behavior. This is my first time raising chickens.
 
Dixiechicks2020 said:
I have a 5 month old Buff Brahma hen who has isolated herself from the rest of the flock. She doesn't appear to be losing any feathers, looks healthy, eyes clear and is eating well. Is this normal? A couple of my hens started laying eggs about two weeks ago. She is roosting with the flock at night. I just want to make sure she's okay and find out if this is normal behavior. This is my first time raising chickens.
Click to expand...
How exactly is she "isolating"?

If she's eating/drinking/pooping/moving around OK...
...and roosting with the flock and not being picked on, I'd not worry.

Some birds are just kind of loners, or she my be 'low bird'.
 

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