Chicken leaves and returns, normal?

[11hens]

Hi! This is our first year with chickens. We live on a large farm, and we free range during the day. Last week, I noticed one of our chickens were missing at lock up time. Though for sure she had been taken by a predator. 4 days later, I look out and there she is! Totally fine and grazing with everyone else! Later that afternoon she was gone again. This morning, she is sitting on the porch! What the heck is she doing? All the chickens have been raised together, and are about 30 weeks old. She had always cooped with the others just fine until last week. Is this normal? Should I be concerned?

 

[aart]

She might be the low bird and not 'welcomed' on your coop roosts?

How big is your coop(feet by feet), how many birds, how much roost length(feet)?
Details and pics might help us help you figure it out.

Do you have a run?
Are all your birds laying in the coop nests?

 

[11hens]

She might be the low bird and not 'welcomed' on your coop roosts?

How big is your coop(feet by feet), how many birds, how much roost length(feet)?
Details and pics might help us help you figure it out.

Do you have a run?
Are all your birds laying in the coop nests?

Our coop is 6x8, with 4 nest boxes, and 4- 6ft roosting poles, and a chicken door into a small run (we are getting ready to build a big run for the winter) and a total of 9 hens. I am pretty sure she is at the bottom of the pecking order, but she has always slept in the coop with the others. (Now they all like to be on the top roosting bar, and squeeze on there... I don't know how they do it!). Most of the chickens are laying their eggs in the boxes, but a few have layed elsewhere, like in our barn, under the coop and in the garden! Not sure what to do..

 

[aart]

Well, maybe she's just looking for some peace...lol.
Once you get the run, built I'd confine them all for a while and see if that change her habit and 're-homes' her to the coop.

I like single level roosts, with poop boards, frees up floor space and lessens pecking order battles at roosting time.
Well, maybe not the roosting time battles so much, but does give them more room to have them.
You could do a 'L' shape roost/board combo in a 6x8.