My flock of 2 turkeys and 4 chickens has changed their roost location. The first night one of my hens was wandering around the barn looking to get up in the hay. She looked really upset so I brought her inside for the night, she spent the night in the sun room. Yesterday I come home and it is pouring rain, and there she is standing right outside of the tack room doors, I open the doors to feed all the animals and she goes right inside and hops up into the basket that she slept in, in the house. I really have a feeling that she is going to do the same thing tonight. Why would they all of a sudden kick her out the herd? Is there anything I can do to help her get back in with them. Thanks for your help.
i just had this start about a week ago. i didn't count.... the next morning i went to let them out and my dh points out a chicken across the yard. he said it had been walking around all morning. i felt horrible. that night, one short again. i found her roostin in a coop/pen with no front, just some roosts inside. so i took in my barn and let her stay in a stall. this has happened every night this week, except last night, she was inside with every one. she is pretty beat up and has been since i got her two months ago. i just got another roo and i think she doesn't like that. i have my coop seperated, pullets on one side and older on other. i have been keeping it open so they all could get along and have more space. i let her stay in the coop and just put her on the pullet side and closed her off from any roos. they do act very sad and i would have brought her in too. i think since you gave her a safe spot, she perfers it now.
I think it's just the way hens are. I only have 3 and two get on well together and the third jumps over the fence and goes next door on her own. She is the youngest and gets pecked by both of the others. Even when the top hen was preening her the other day she panicked and ran off because she was expecting to be pecked. I thought of getting another younger hen, but she might be at the bottom so it would not solve the problem.
Its normal for pullets and hens to peck at one another . Trust me , I have over 100 head of different breeds . Some do this alot more than others . The only breed I separated from the main flock were my bantams , because they were such a much smaller breed and did not want the full size roosters breeding with them and damaging them. I recently got rid of my bantams because it was getting totally out of hand . I have 2 coops and 3 runs attached . 1 run I use for some that I have to quarantine if need be . 1 run and coop for younger flock , like 3 month olds .... Since I do have to have them strickly on grower/starter feed , where the regular flock are on laying pellets .
