Hen staying alone

[Bettyboop7499]

I think she may just be scared. But @EggSighted4Life is right; you do need to treat for mites- unless you already have. See how she is when they're all back together for bed.

So, are you and @EggSighted4Life talking about her foot? Is that what mites look like?

 

[mili137]

no i havent tried to cure her legs

 

[mili137]

my father said that i have raised a lot of chickens with legs like this but nothing happend the time will be the cure

 

[EggSighted4Life]

my father said that i have raised a lot of chickens with legs like this but nothing happend the time will be the cure

He is incorrect in this instance, My "father" taught me it was okay to steal as long as it wasn't family and it's especially okay from larger corporations. We don't always have to do what we were taught.

Time will NOT cure that (eventually everything dies I guess)... but Vaseline applied for a couple nights in a row will suffocate them. They are a microscopic mite and you can't see them only the evidence of them, which your hen has. They are very uncomfortable for the hen... and parasites like these and others will attack the weakest link hardest and first... which weakens them even farther allowing more possibility of illness, disease, parasites, eventual predation or death and decline in egg production. This is reality and NOT scare tactics. I'm not saying your hen will die because of SLM, but it can have an impact or be an indicator of other things... and being so easy to treat, only makes sense on a hen who is giving you cause for alarm. A healthy immune system fight things off better. Nutrition plays a heavy roll in this in my experience. In addition to your free range, what is being fed including treats and supplements on a regular basis?

Yes, @centrarchid portrays an accurate broody description. I forgot that part and was thinking about the time some spend among the flock just preening in the earlier days. All hens are different, and some of mine actually start showing behaviors even before they actually go broody.

So, are you and @EggSighted4Life talking about her foot? Is that what mites look like?

There are many types of mites.... Some are not visible to the naked eye (scaly leg mite and depluming mites), others (northern fowl mite) can be easily seen like in the extreme cases in the link, and Red mites only come out to feed on them but live in cracks of wood in stumps or under roost... Good basic information, always use your own discretion...
https://the-chicken-chick.com/poultry-lice-and-mites-identification/

It is easiest to check and treat most birds after dark using a flashlight or headlamp. Keeping it dim *usually* keeps the birds in their place and prevent any chasing.

No, no facebook. But you can try to use vimeo or youtube and upload the link here for us to see.