Hens not sharing roost

[KMurphyVT]

Hi,
I have 8 healthy hens that are around 25 weeks old. Recently I’ve noticed when I go to lock up the coop that 7 of my girls are sitting together on the highest roosting bar, and one girl is all alone on the bottom bar. I haven’t noticed any pecking or missing feathers. We live in VT and it does get very cold. Should I be worried about her? Should I put her up with the other girls? Thank you for any input!

 

[Laura_BelgianBantams_63]

If you want, you can put her up with the others. Maybe she prefers sitting alone. Maybe putting her up with the others might 'rock the boat'.

 

[KMurphyVT]

I did put her up there tonight and there was lots of feathers flapping and squawking. I don’t think the other ladies appreciated it at all! I don’t want to stress them out, but I feel so bad for her.

 

[azygous]

Save your energy for when you face a real flock problem. This is a minor thing that will resolve one way or the other. Depending on where this lone ranger is a week from now, then you may need to step in.

Chances are very good that this hen is working through some issues of her own, personal self confidence or maybe a health issue. Keep an eye on her, not just at roosting time, but during the day, as well.

A hen that self isolates may be getting sick. Or she may be a bully victim and needs to get up her resolve to dive back into pecking order politics. Most of the time, these flock dynamics take care of themselves without our intervention.

Watch for this hen to continue self isolating behavior, especially during the day. If she's fluffed up, shoulders hunched, tail down low, appetite poor, poop questionable, you have a sick hen you need to deal with.

If you see her being chased away from the feeders and she isn't figuring out how to get back to the food, but seems to be giving up, and she appears weak and listless, she may be not only starving, but is a bully victim in need of intervention. Here's what you need to do to rescue her. https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/chicken-bully-chicken-victim-a-two-sided-issue.73923/

 

[3KillerBs]

How long is the roost bar?

If it's less than 8 feet long there might not be enough room for all the hens to be comfortable at the same time now that they're approaching full-size. .

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd leave her alone. Most likely she's lower on the pecking order, but she could also just not want to join in all the roost time rumbles. Generally when I find a bird on a lower roost it's a younger bird (or two) that got booted by the assertive adults, or a molter that isn't comfortable with being pressed up against others.

 

[Chickassan]

As much as I hate to say it to myself or anyone else....chicken buisness isn't your buisness.
You're seeing a fine example of chicken buisness everyone with at least two chickens sees sooner or later......roost rudeness.
Don't get involved unless you see blood,
No way of telling what the problem is anyway unless you're a chicken.
That chicken sleeping alone isn't always pushed out oh no.
Sometimes the loner is such a butt hole she gets her own ton of space.
Either way they got to solve it in their own time.