EE ignored by flock, why??

[CathyRN]

Hi there....relatively new chicken owner here as my pullets are only about 3 months old. I have them in a chicken stagecoach tractor outside. They are doing well....3 EEs, 3 barred rocks, 2 delawares, and 1 buff orpington. However, there is one EE that is very independent, doesn't free range much with the flock, and at night when I close the coop up, she's roosting on one side of the coop, and the 8 others are all snuggled together on the other side.

Why is this? She is such a sweet chicken....I don't see her fighting with the other pullets or anything....and I thought maybe she was sick or something but she eats/drinks fine and looks very healthy. Is this common for a flock to ignore a bird of there flock or is she just low in the pecking order?

Just curious..........couldn't find this behavior in any of the books. Thanks

 

[Chick CJ]

Well, I don't know how normal it is but I have one EE and she is definitely the sweetest bird I have. She is also at the bottom of the pecking order. Sometimes I think she doesn't see well as she will bump into things, step all over my feet when I am by her, and generally appear addled at times. She doesn't have trouble seeing or eating her food though. I always just assume it is that her cheeks are so big she can't see around them!

She is largely ignored by all the others and while she will follow the others around sometimes, she is more likely to be found off on her own.
CJ