Chickens staying inside a lot, not laying

[Firefoot]

I don't have any ideas but I will say that mine are doing a similar thing. My birds used to free range a lot and a few weeks ago we had hawks move into the area that stalk my chickens and attacked them once when they were in the yard. So now the chickens have been locked up in their run (400sq ft for 7 birds, so definitely enough space). The three younger birds in particular spend a lot of time in the coop even on nice days. No one is laying right now -- there was about a month before the hawk attack that a few were laying but they've all pretty much stopped for now. I have one pullet who was feeling poorly yesterday but is fine today, I'm treating them all for coccidiosis despite not having definitive proof, but I really think the issue is boredom. And potentially bullying for mine -- my older hens are 2 or 3 and the younger birds are about 9 months and they get bullied a little bit. Plus the young rooster is very good but can be over attentive at times.

So now that it looks like free ranging is on hold for the foreseeable future (chased away the hawk midday today, again) I am trying to find ways to keep them entertained. Working on making a big dust bath for them. Also have some squash and melon that I can put in every couple days for them. They have lots of 'things' in their run like pallets, branches, platforms, etc. But I do think they are bored and I'm just as annoyed as they are that they can't go out. So maybe your birds are bored? And the days are getting longer but they're still short and while the weather has warmed up a little here, it's not consistently nice and it is STILL rainy (last year we have rain 45% of the days!).

If they all look healthy and are acting normally otherwise, I'd consider boredom ... especially if they are locked up more due to the coyotes.

 

[ShrekDawg]

You can check for sour or impacted crop by feeling their crop in the evening before bed and again in the morning before they eat. Smell their breath. In the evening the crop should be fairly full like a tennis ball, from eating, and in the morning, it should be relatively flat and empty. Their breath should smell sweet or not at all, but if it smells sour or nasty, that could be sour crop.

Yes, my hen was sluggish.
So I checked her crop, it was squishy. It had not yet soured, would smell vinegary from what I've read.
I put her in a dog crate and supplied very wet feed and water.
I massaged her crop several times daily over 3 days before she began to feel better, eat and want out.
I never treated sour crop, so you would have to use the search feature.
I have found with chickens, they may overindulge in something new.
I put a container of Oyster Shells out for my 17 weeks old Barred Rocks and they consumed a lot for 2 days before it slowed.
Possible it could have happened with the hay.
Wish you luck figuring it out. GC

Thank you both! This is very helpful! I will have to check for sour crop!

 

[ShrekDawg]

I don't have any ideas but I will say that mine are doing a similar thing. My birds used to free range a lot and a few weeks ago we had hawks move into the area that stalk my chickens and attacked them once when they were in the yard. So now the chickens have been locked up in their run (400sq ft for 7 birds, so definitely enough space). The three younger birds in particular spend a lot of time in the coop even on nice days. No one is laying right now -- there was about a month before the hawk attack that a few were laying but they've all pretty much stopped for now. I have one pullet who was feeling poorly yesterday but is fine today, I'm treating them all for coccidiosis despite not having definitive proof, but I really think the issue is boredom. And potentially bullying for mine -- my older hens are 2 or 3 and the younger birds are about 9 months and they get bullied a little bit. Plus the young rooster is very good but can be over attentive at times.

So now that it looks like free ranging is on hold for the foreseeable future (chased away the hawk midday today, again) I am trying to find ways to keep them entertained. Working on making a big dust bath for them. Also have some squash and melon that I can put in every couple days for them. They have lots of 'things' in their run like pallets, branches, platforms, etc. But I do think they are bored and I'm just as annoyed as they are that they can't go out. So maybe your birds are bored? And the days are getting longer but they're still short and while the weather has warmed up a little here, it's not consistently nice and it is STILL rainy (last year we have rain 45% of the days!).

If they all look healthy and are acting normally otherwise, I'd consider boredom ... especially if they are locked up more due to the coyotes.

Thank you! This is helpful. Sorry about your hawk problem I think you might be right about the boredom. Their run is really bare. Maybe I should add some stuff to it! I did add a log a few months ago and they loved eating the bugs out of it but then of course the log froze and I think the bugs are gone now. Maybe they need a new log lol although ironically now they are out right when I say they don’t go out on a rainy/cold day too of all days.

We are planning to expand the run too which I think will help but we have to find more panels first. Their run is a chain link dog kennel, 6x12 so we need to find some more 12 foot panels. Or I might make it wider too.

 

[Firefoot]

I think you might be right about the boredom. Their run is really bare.

Someone on here said that ideally you shouldn't be able to see all the way through the run -- meaning it should be full of "stuff" for them to play on, peck at, and hide under. Mine was really bare and empty too when I first integrated my girls last summer and I had serious issues with bullying from my older hens on my timid little Ameraucanas. I can still see through the run, but there's tons of things in there: pieces of lattice leaned up against the sides, some huge tree limbs hung up as perches, pallets on a platform so it's a shelter and a table, stools, chairs, big stumps, an old microwave cart that they love to sit on in the sun ... they pack themselves onto the shelves on the cold and clear days to absorb the sun, so cute! So yeah just get creative and cram some stuff in there! I also have the floor of the run as wood chips and then this fall I raked a ton of leaves in there. I actually never raked my leaves in my yard, haha oops, so every few weeks or so I rake another huge pile into there and they love it. There's a ton of straw down at the moment too from when it was covered in snow (they hate the snow), but I'll pull that up before the next freeze I think. And if they don't have an area to dust bathe, definitely do that.

 

[ShrekDawg]

Someone on here said that ideally you shouldn't be able to see all the way through the run -- meaning it should be full of "stuff" for them to play on, peck at, and hide under. Mine was really bare and empty too when I first integrated my girls last summer and I had serious issues with bullying from my older hens on my timid little Ameraucanas. I can still see through the run, but there's tons of things in there: pieces of lattice leaned up against the sides, some huge tree limbs hung up as perches, pallets on a platform so it's a shelter and a table, stools, chairs, big stumps, an old microwave cart that they love to sit on in the sun ... they pack themselves onto the shelves on the cold and clear days to absorb the sun, so cute! So yeah just get creative and cram some stuff in there! I also have the floor of the run as wood chips and then this fall I raked a ton of leaves in there. I actually never raked my leaves in my yard, haha oops, so every few weeks or so I rake another huge pile into there and they love it. There's a ton of straw down at the moment too from when it was covered in snow (they hate the snow), but I'll pull that up before the next freeze I think. And if they don't have an area to dust bathe, definitely do that.

Thanks so much for all the tips!! I will have to try some of that! I think I just worried that the run would be too crowded or limit the square footage if I had too much stuff in there but I think they would probably be happier, especially when everything is still so frozen and/or barren! Plus maybe they would feel more secure with places to hide? They don’t have any outside atm and I think maybe they are a little bit scared or nervous? I wanted to do the wood chip and leaves thing too but then for some reason I piled all the other stuff in there and now it’s kind of a muddy poopy mess. I should really figure out how to shovel it all out or at the very least, maybe stir it up a bit. I like the wood chip and leaf idea and it gives me compost and them bugs to eat and stuff to do instead of just a poopy barren wasteland lol and yeah, they don’t really have any dust bathing spots. They have a few areas they sun now but there used to be a big crater they dug out in the middle to dust bathe in and then I put the stuff on it and I think that really upset them. I had hoped it would give them MORE area to dust bathe in but instead it just kind of made everything a wasteland. I think I need to dig some of it up.

 

[Criticalicious]

Dry leaves or pine needles, or anything like that if you have it for free. Vertical space increases your horizontal space. Dead logs, old wood furniture, etc. Anything they can jump up on is great for variety. Research chicken jungle gyms!

Is the run covered or is it have a clear view of the sky? Consider covering part or all of it with tarps or a roof of some kind. If you have hawks, maybe they don't feel safe crossing the barren wasteland, feeling out in the open.

 

[Firefoot]

Thanks so much for all the tips!! I will have to try some of that! I think I just worried that the run would be too crowded or limit the square footage if I had too much stuff in there but I think they would probably be happier, especially when everything is still so frozen and/or barren! Plus maybe they would feel more secure with places to hide? They don’t have any outside atm and I think maybe they are a little bit scared or nervous? I wanted to do the wood chip and leaves thing too but then for some reason I piled all the other stuff in there and now it’s kind of a muddy poopy mess. I should really figure out how to shovel it all out or at the very least, maybe stir it up a bit. I like the wood chip and leaf idea and it gives me compost and them bugs to eat and stuff to do instead of just a poopy barren wasteland lol and yeah, they don’t really have any dust bathing spots. They have a few areas they sun now but there used to be a big crater they dug out in the middle to dust bathe in and then I put the stuff on it and I think that really upset them. I had hoped it would give them MORE area to dust bathe in but instead it just kind of made everything a wasteland. I think I need to dig some of it up.

They would definitely be more comfortable with places to hide, and they would actually have increased space as they'd have more vertical space to perch. If they feel safer, they will relax and want to be out and scratching around.

Depending on how deep and/or gross their run is at the moment, you might be able to just pile the wood chips on top of it all. It all breaks down over time. I muck out the straw periodically (I really only put it down in the winter) but otherwise I don't remove anything from their run, just add. When it's really wet I rake up the woodchips, etc. and sprinkle some PDZ down on the ground (usually in the evenings after they've gone to roost) and then they dig through the piles the next day.

Today I got a big concrete mixing tub from TSC and I'm going to drill some drainage holes in the bottom and then fill it with soil, ash, and peat for them to dust bathe in. Very excited for them to be able to dust bathe again!

 

[GC-Raptor]

Their run is a chain link dog kennel, 6x12 so we need to find some more 12 foot panels. Or I might make it wider too.

My 7 Barred Rocks are in a 10 x 10 kennel. I want to expand it to 30 x 10. GC

 

[ChicKat]

Same here, I've noticed that indoor 'hanging out' seems to be more pronounced here lately than ever before in my chicken raising years.

Your insight about hawk activity seems really right on target. I've noticed more hawks perched in the tree tops, and I'm sure that the roo is aware 24/7 (or at least during daylight hours). Also, it's colder (although that shouldn't be a big deal to them.

A thought about your hens...if they are 5-years old, are they approaching the end of their laying cycle? You might want to look into that with some research regarding at what point hens discontinue laying.

Those suggesting a cover for your run, in case it isn't covered, may give them more security.

One other thing, as long as they are healthy and seem happy (and content -- as you say when they see you they come toward you) -- I wouldn't worry much.