Loner hen rejected by flock

[Peepthis541]

One of my 2 "1st generation" hens suddenly began displaying very strange behavior last week. She was not following the flock and off on her own while grazing outside their enclosure. Usually if the flock of 5 hens + 1 rooster split up, it is usually by age, where the two youngest hens and rooster (all the same age) stay together and the 3 older hens stay together. That day, Basil, my light brahma was off on her own, which did not cause alarm until I put the other birds back in their enclosure and Basil was missing. Usually I know where they get to if they are straying too far from the house, but that day, I couldn't find her until I circled the block. I found her near a tree and coaxed her back home.
After putting the birds together, the rooster started picking on Basil in an uncharacteristically extreme fashion. He pecked her neck to the point of drawing blood! I immediately separated her and have tried over the last few days to reintegrate her but there is a very strange dynamic now between her and the rooster, where she seems very fearful and submissive. When I let her out alone, she seems to stray farther than normal.
At first, I noticed a kind of sluggish behavior and thought perhaps she was egg bound, but she has laid twice since being separated from the flock.

Has anyone seen this kind of behavior before? The rooster does not act as aggressively with any other hen other than normal mating rituals. For some reason, Basil seems to have been singled out. I wonder if maybe I should isolate the rooster for a couple days, and keep the hens together for a time and see how/if her behavior changes.

Thanks for any tips.

Dave

 

[chookchick]

I have read of this on BYC before, but not seen it myself. I bet there is something wrong with Basil. The rooster senses that she is ill, and is trying to drive off a perceived "threat". First I would look her over very carefully for any pests, injuries, unusual swellings or discharges, etc...If you see anything odd post in the "emergencies and diseases" forum. Check out her droppings carefully. If she looks okay, you could try crating or penning her separately (but still visible to flock), and letting them free range together for a while to see if the situation improves. I do not think it is a problem with the rooster. Do they have plenty of room in the coop and run? Please keep us posted on what happens with Basil.