1 nearly 5 week old chicken won't come off her roost

[Morganchicks]

We have 15 chickens- Buff Orpington's and Rhode Island Red's. One Buff won't come out of the coop and is staying on the roosting bar. Could such a young hen go broody- or should I worry that she's sick? They haven't started laying yet.
Thanks for your help!

 

[Judy]

Buff Orps as a breed tend to be easily bullied. It's possible she is at the bottom of the pecking order and avoiding being attacked. I would put her with the flock (close their coop door for a while if necessary) and watch the flock to see if this is what is going on. Also, I'd try to identify who is the "lead bully." If one is an obvious bully, I'd remove that one from the flock fr about a week, then put her back, in an effort to shake up the pecking order, as they will return at the low end of the pecking order.

 

[Morganchicks]

Thanks- that's very helpful. We are new at this and constantly learning.