- Jun 21, 2014
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We have 7 chickens – 4 bards that are 3 years old and 3 (unsure of the breed, possibly red wyandottes) that are around 6 years old. Everyone seems to get along pretty well, with some occasional pecking order squabbles. They stay in their coops at night and roam the backyard during the day. Our reds have consistently gone through periods of ‘broodiness’, where we pick them up at night, return them their coops, and usually in about 2 weeks things the broodiness stops. This summer has been different. One red has been broody off and on since about February, but has stayed a part of the flock. However, one bird – who I will refer to as the ‘rogue hen’ was broody for about 3.5 weeks, then seemed to just disappear. We looked everywhere but there are some places in our backyard where she could be hiding that are not accessible to us humans, i.e. under a storage shed. We had no idea where she could be and assumed the worst. Then, after being missing for about 4 weeks she reappeared in the afternoon. That evening she had disappeared again to her hiding place. Another 4 weeks passed and then in the last week she has reappeared twice but we still have no idea where she goes. In those reappearances, she appears crabby, agitated and mean to the other hens. So, I have a number of questions: what can we do to help the rogue return to the flock? Will she be accepted by the other hens?
