ChickInnMama
Songster
- Feb 21, 2022
- 120
- 130
- 123
Hi all, I wasn’t sure which thread to post this under because obviously by the headline you can see there is multiple issues going on with her. We just added chicks about 4-5 weeks ago, they started sleeping in the coop about 3 weeks ago but they are separated at night in the coop by mesh. Josephine (Jo) has asserted that she’s in charge and she pecked them and still does here and there but over all she’s fine and they are fine, there is one other hen with them in there. So 2 hens and 3 pullets (they are about 13 weeks now). Less than a week ago we noticed that when we go let her out in the morning she is acting aggressive towards us, like one day I opened their coop and turned around to set their waterer down and she run up and pecked the back of my leg. She’s been puffing up a lot to look big and scary too. She’s normally kinda temperamental anyway, one day she wants to peck you and the next you can hold her etc. Anyway, a few days ago I noticed what sounded like a strangled crow like when a rooster is first starting to crow, all my pullers are definitely hens so I was surprised and I went out and saw Jo out there trying to crow. Yesterday and today she absolutely got the crow down, she is loud and sounds just like a rooster. She is almost 3 years old and she lays eggs so I know she’s a hen 
. Today I noticed every time she crowed this morning that she was lifting her left leg off the ground and just standing on one leg. I thought it was part of the whole “crowing” thing, like lifting her leg and putting her neck out as she did it seemed pretty “roostery” to me. Only then I kept watching her and noticed she was kinda limping and then continuing to stand on one leg. My husband and I both looked and we don’t see anything in her foot or on her leg, it’s not swollen or anything, no bumble foot etc. it’s all weird, I moved her inside in a crate and just left her there all day in a dim room with some food and water. It honestly seemed to stress her out, but she also seems stressed out outside. I’m wondering if she is crowing to assert that she’s still in charge because she feels vulnerable if her leg is hurt? I thought if I put her inside that she might just rest her leg, and she did. I put her back out in her coop tonight though, I figured she would be happier out there to sleep. I plan to bring her back in tomorrow morning though because I’ll be gone all day and unable to keep an eye on her. Could the two things be related? Is it possible she just sprained her leg or something? How can I break her of crowing? I’ve been going out and yelling at her to stop and this morning I sprayed her once with a water bottle. We live in a rural neighborhood and I cannot have a rooster so even though she’s a hen she can’t crow 
. Any advice is appreciated, thank you!! Oh and probably not related, but weird, her comb is still red and looks fine except that there is black on it kinda all over her comb and wattle, I’ve assumed it’s from the rain and the dirt getting muddy, I don’t know what else it would be and no one else has that issue. Is that possible? We’re in Florida and it’s been super hot and my poor girls are struggling, they’ve been molting (we have a few other hens as well but they are separate from these girls by a fence but can see each other and they’re all molting as well) but I haven’t really noticed Jo was molting until today when I moved her inside and there were a good number of feathers when I moved her back outside tonight (I did check on her throughout the day, not just at night) and now I’m wondering if she is molting too. Thanks again!
. Today I noticed every time she crowed this morning that she was lifting her left leg off the ground and just standing on one leg. I thought it was part of the whole “crowing” thing, like lifting her leg and putting her neck out as she did it seemed pretty “roostery” to me. Only then I kept watching her and noticed she was kinda limping and then continuing to stand on one leg. My husband and I both looked and we don’t see anything in her foot or on her leg, it’s not swollen or anything, no bumble foot etc. it’s all weird, I moved her inside in a crate and just left her there all day in a dim room with some food and water. It honestly seemed to stress her out, but she also seems stressed out outside. I’m wondering if she is crowing to assert that she’s still in charge because she feels vulnerable if her leg is hurt? I thought if I put her inside that she might just rest her leg, and she did. I put her back out in her coop tonight though, I figured she would be happier out there to sleep. I plan to bring her back in tomorrow morning though because I’ll be gone all day and unable to keep an eye on her. Could the two things be related? Is it possible she just sprained her leg or something? How can I break her of crowing? I’ve been going out and yelling at her to stop and this morning I sprayed her once with a water bottle. We live in a rural neighborhood and I cannot have a rooster so even though she’s a hen she can’t crow . Any advice is appreciated, thank you!! Oh and probably not related, but weird, her comb is still red and looks fine except that there is black on it kinda all over her comb and wattle, I’ve assumed it’s from the rain and the dirt getting muddy, I don’t know what else it would be and no one else has that issue. Is that possible? We’re in Florida and it’s been super hot and my poor girls are struggling, they’ve been molting (we have a few other hens as well but they are separate from these girls by a fence but can see each other and they’re all molting as well) but I haven’t really noticed Jo was molting until today when I moved her inside and there were a good number of feathers when I moved her back outside tonight (I did check on her throughout the day, not just at night) and now I’m wondering if she is molting too. Thanks again!
. Thank you!!
. Thank you!!
