Hen doesn't come off perch on her own

[greenbean62657]

I have a 1+ year old buff orphington hen who is coming out of her molt. She has laid 2 soft shelled eggs in the past week and a half, along with 3 normal eggs. Two days ago - she laid her eggs while on the perch (one soft shelled and another normal - both cracked). For the last two days, I have had to put her off the perch. She is always very friendly - so I can pick her up - she feels warm. I can hear her exhale - but her breathing does not seem strained at all. Now she is out grazing in the field. I'm a new owner of chickens, and just want to check in to see if these are normal symptoms of a chicken coming out of a molt. Thanks for your advice!

 

[Imp]

That all sounds very normal to me. Although I'm not sure it is related to molting. If she continues with lots of soft shelled eggs, you may want to increase the calcium in her diet. Laying from the perch- If the eggs are getting broken I think I might take away the roost, for awhile.

Good luck,

I'll add a link with some info about soft shelled eggs

http://www.thepoultrysite.com/publi...ndbook/16/thinshelled-eggs-and-shellless-eggs

Imp

 

[PoultryPedia]

I had a hen that didn't want to come down from a perch when her back was bare. She was afraid of the roosters' enthusiasm and hen-pecking from the others. A chicken saddle REALLY helped her.

 

[greenbean62657]

Thanks for the input. I'll keep her closely monitored. She is not getting down again today - and her comb is looking quite pale. I might bring her in to watch for a couple of days.

Thanks again!