Hen acting odd

[lilychen25]

about a week ago my japanese bantam ran away but came back a day and a half later. since then she's been acting strange in that she only comes out of her coop once a day to eat. she stays in the same position all day. we have tried to lure her out with treats to which we have have worked once but that was only to the edge of the coop and not out into the backyard.

we have no idea how or why she ran away but it could possibly be due to the cats in our neighbourhood. it is also summer here in australia and the temperature are reaching 35 degrees celcius (95 farenheit), we are giving her cold water, iced water bottles and frozen fruit in her food box that's in her coop for her to cool down but she doesn't seem interested.

what can we do to get our hen's behaviour back to normal?? she was so lively and excited before running up to me whenever i got home. she has laid eggs in the past (always two eggs at a time a couple times a week).

 

[azygous]

The behavior you describe is typical of a hen that has been chased and threatened by a predator. It could have been a hawk, a feral cat or dog, or even a strange human.

The chicken reacts as all prey do when stalked by a predator - she runs away and hides. Prey will remain hidden for a long time to be sure the predator is no longer hanging around. Your hen then returned home.

It would be a good idea to give her a careful examination, looking her over for wounds, especially puncture wounds. She's likely still in shock, so giving her water with electrolytes is very important. If you have none, give her sugar water. Boiled egg is also good to give her.

To ease her back into a trusting mode, keep her in a secluded and quiet and sheltered place away from noise and activity for a few days.

 

[aart]

Is she panting and holding her wings away from her body??
Those are sign of the effects of hot weather.
I give a dose of Sav-A-Chik(electrolytes/vitamins) once a week during hot spells,
seems to help.

 

[chickens really]

She sounds Broody to me..She possibly had a clutch of eggs hidden and now you caged her in..

 

[lilychen25]

hey guys!!

it's been about 2 weeks and i've taken your suggestions on board. i have checked for wounds and there are definitely none. my chicken however is still only coming out of her coop once a day, this ranges from 15minutes to 2 hours a day. during this time she comes out to eat and drink, but her diet is extremely pick now, before she loved to have fruits and vegetables but now almost refuses to eat anything that is not poultry feed.

i have been giving her sugar water as suggested which she does drink. mostly she lies under a wooden plank we have in her coop.

is there anything else i should be doing to ease her back to the lifestyle and personality she had before?

 

[azygous]

She certainly could be broody, and sitting on the floor conserves her body heat, and that perpetuates broody hormones.

Does she puff up and screech when you try to touch her when she's in her haven under the plank? That would be a classic sign.