Broody not being allowed to rejoin flock

[pattycake]

Hi all -- I've raised chickens since 2007 and have never had this problem before: one of my hens went broody, and after a few weeks of futility (no rooster!) instead of giving up and rejoining the flock, she now sits on a roost all day. Whenever she jumps down to eat, the other hens attack her! So she flies back up. Twice a day I shut the other hens out of the henhouse and take her down and give her food and water, and she eats ravenously. But as soon as the others come back in, they're on her again.

My rooster died this summer and since then the girls have been much rougher on each other, and also much more affectionate towards me (constant squatting for me). Weird!

Anyone have ideas how to get this chicken to be accepted by her sisters again??

 

[wood&feathers]

I don't know what you should do, but the rooster business is part of the equation. Mine seems to really favor those hens that are laying or have successfully brooded. My best broody has moved wAY up the peck order, probably due to his "sponsorship".

 

[pattycake]

Maybe I should get another rooster. I'm afraid of getting a total jerk, though!

 

[teach1rusl]

You might try pairing her with one of the mildest of your birds for a week or so (if you have a place to keep them), then reintroducing. You'll def. want to have two feeding/water stations though (maybe one inside/one out?), to make sure she has access to food/water.

 

[bairo]

Sounds like she was up there long enough that the pecking order changed. She is now at the bottom it sounds like. I am not really certain how to solve this other than time. It could last a couple weeks even, but eventually they will let her back in. As far as eating and such....she will probably jump down when the others head up to the roost. I would make certain there is food available in the evening. If you can free range?? You may let them out and she will probably jump down when they are gone. She may even venture outside also although probably keeping her distance.

 

[pattycake]

Quote:
That's a good idea. I have an extra henhouse I use to keep babies in -- I split the run down the middle with mesh so the two lots can see each other, one house at each end. I only have one water heater though, because I usually use it in warm weather... hm... think, think...

 

[pattycake]

Quote:
Interesting -- we have snow here so I haven't been freeranging lately -- also a fox den across the road so they can only freerange if I'm around and working outside (lost most of my old flock to the fox this summer, rooster survived but was never the same, had a heart attack (or something) a few weeks later. Chicken raising can be so sad!)

If the weather warms up a bit I might manage to cut the run into a couple of sections during the day... put her in one part with a friend.