Hi all, I was hoping to get advice on my hen. In October last year I bought 4 ISA brown hens who were supposed to be 19 weeks old. In December, three of the hens started laying after developing large red crests and displaying 'squatting' behaviours. The hen I'm concerned about still has a small crest that has only slightly turned red and her legs are yellow while the other hens have pinkish white legs. She has never squatted and runs away if I approach her. She gets picked on quite a bit but was picking on another hen before the others started to lay. Is there any reason for these physical differences and anything I can do to encourage her to lay?
Welcome to BYC! ISA's are a cross...so the one bird may have different parentage that matures more slowly, or it could be a different breed altogether due to a mix up at hatchery or farm store. The different colored legs tell that something is different breed-wise. Chickens maturing to lay during the decreasing day length in the fall(if you live in the northern hemisphere) may not start laying until the days grow longer after the winter solstice. She's probably low bird in the pecking order, that may change once she starts to lay. The pecking order is fluid and often change for subtle reasons we are unaware of. As long as there's no serious bloodshed and everyone's getting enough to eat the pecking is normal. The only thing you can really do is wait...often the solution in chickenkeeping.
Thanks for your reply. I think you're right about the different breed. In the last month my immature hen has developed a nice red crest and is starting to 'squat' when I approach her. So fingers crossed she starts to lay soon! And yes, patience is the key! Thanks again.
