bantam pullet stays in coop while the rest are out

[princessmama]

I have no idea why this little pullet started staying in the coop while all the others free-range. She used to go out with them but the last week or so every time I go up there she is inside by herself. I haven't seen her being picked on, but maybe she has been? She runs around looking for food, gets drinks, climbs up and down the roost...looks healthy to me. I haven't tried to catch her and have a closer look since she seems lively. Any ideas?

 

[Judy]

My guess, assuming she really is healthy (it's always hard to be sure with chickens) is that she's been being picked on by the flock, is lowest in the pecking order. Sometimes one is just a loner, though.

I have one surviving pullet who's about 10 weeks. Her mama has gone back to laying and ignores her. She's about the size of a bantam in a flock of large fowl. She often stays off by herself, though not usually in the coop, out scratching and pecking. Sometimes I see her with the flock, but she gets pecked if she tries to join in with eating treats so she backs off. I'm guessing she will join them when she gets full size. It's not really hard pecking, no blood or even a squawk, just a tap, really. So maybe it's just that her size has pue her at the bottom of the pecking order.

 

[princessmama]

Thanks ddawn

So, I went back outside yesterday after posting this and watched for a while. Pretty soon the little pullet came out of the coop (we do have other bantams, she's just the littlest) and our big, dumb scaredy-cat bottom of the pecking order BLRW roo(he runs in from almost all the other chickens including the hens and the bantam cockerels) came at her stomping and making a fuss. She took off and hid behind some lumber by the coop. Pretty soon he wandered off and she made a dash for the other hens. She relaxed once she got in the middle of the flock. He wandered off with the BLRW hen and the little one stayed out the rest of the day. Mystery solved I'm guessing.

 

[Graey]

Quote:
hey ive had the same problem and seen the same behavior with a roo picking on her real bad, and i thought ok problem solved, but this is what happened to me, after a while of this behavior i finnaly picked her up, she had gone blind in one eye, all milky and white, thats why she avoided the sun, and why she was so easily and ruthlessly picked on, so you might wana check her out...

Pat

 

[princessmama]

Yeah, I'm going to snag her tomorrow and look her over. She was inside by herself half the day again today. She seems plenty perky and all, but I want to have a closer look.

 

[Graey]

i'd be interested to hear what you find

 

[sourland]

Do you have a standard rooster that is harassing her?