Hen has exiled herself?

[77young7]

I have an 8 month Buff Orpington hen who has shown some strange behavior over the last month. I noticed at first she stayed in one location in the yard for a few days. She does come into the henhouse at night to roost and sleep. Then over the next couple of weeks she has started to be a late sleeper. I have to go in at times to wake her up -the other hens have been out for at least a couple of hours. I never see her in the nesting boxes anymore just off to herself the majority of the time. I wish she was staying in a nesting box because I do have a rooster that just a few days ago we thought to be a hen is this normal behavior for a hen or is it a red flag there is a problem? Thanks!

 

[azygous]

You need to observe her a bit more. She may be sick. Does she stand or sit facing into the wall or corner? Does she stand motionless in the center of the coop or run while holding her tail down. Does she often stand on one leg?

These are all symptoms of a sick hen.

Try to look in the morning where she roosted the night before. What do her poops look like? If they are thin and watery and dark green, it means she isn't eating much.

If it turns out she has all these symptoms, you need to go post on the Emergencies forum and get some help.

 

[77young7]

Thank you. She does still run with the flock some but not as much. I assumed that after this long if she was sick she would show more signs. I will continue to watch her and repost in the forum suggested if necessary.

 

[PrairieChickens]

Chickens are prey animals, so they have evolved to hide pain and illness from potential predators. Unfortunately, this means we don't get a lot of warning when one is doing poorly. If your instincts tell you something is wrong, something is probably wrong. Watch for the symptoms azgous offered, and maybe check to see if she is egg bound.

 

[77young7]

Sometimes it takes someone else to state the obvious or maybe confirm. I have been out with her in the coop and while watching her I recalled when this started.....three of my hens had started sneezing. We took them to the vet and continued treating them at home, they recovered quickly. I had noticed my buff a couple of days prior to that had been sitting. Is it possible she is the one that got the others sick without showing the same symptoms? Out of 36 three hens showed signs, were treated and recovered. The fourth is this hen who only showed the signs mentioned in the first post. I have removed her from the flock to further help her. Thanks for being confirmation.

 

[PrairieChickens]

It's possible she was a carrier, or that it just took longer to manifest in her. Whatever the case, I'm sure she'll benefit from some one-on-one care.