Chicken Sleeping on Ground

[New to the sticks]

Hi there!

One year in and we've kept all our girls (and the one we thought was a girl) alive. Today I'm concerned with an odd behavior--one chicken (we thought she was the head hen but now I am not so sure) is sleeping alone on the ground at night.It's been getting below 33 degrees some nights, and we recently had about a week of snow, so I am a little concerned there is something wrong.

Doesn't seem to be getting bullied-- if shes not the lead then she is certainly not on the bottom of the pecking order. All their poops seem normal, although over the summer I saw her have what looked like runny stool.

We have treated all for leg mites with a spray that seems to have worked and occasionally mix some probiotic in the feed. Last year this time two were still laying pretty regularly--now no one is.

Thanks in advance for any insight!

 

[DobieLover]

Can you please post pictures of this girl?
How old is she?
What exactly are you feeding the flock?
It is not normal for a bird to suddenly stop roosting. When they do, they are typically feeling VERY poorly and may be too far gone to save depending on what is going on.
Have you checked to see that her crop is empty in the morning and full at night?
Have you checked her over carefully for external parasites?
Have you checked between her legs for fluid build up?

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Some chickens will stop roosting if there is a mite problem. I'd check the roost bars at night. Run a paper towel over them (top, bottom and sides) and see if you get brown/red smears from squished mites. What spray did you use for leg mites? Most treatments I know of involve suffocating the mites with vaseline over the course of weeks. Also check her over for leg injuries or water belly. Does she seem to have any trouble moving about during the day?

As for no one laying eggs that could be normal. Every year chickens will lay fewer and fewer eggs. How quickly they slow down varies a lot breed to breed and even bird to bird.