Hi I need some help!

[Goober1201]

Hi, I have **1** all white hen, I have NO CLUE what breed she is and I know when I got her the Lady said she lay-ed blue eggs. And she was a mix. WELL, she hasn't lay ed in the 2 months that Ive had her, we had some nasty critters get some of our girls. I thought they got her to. But here she was just hiding, she leaves for a few days and comes back. I can NOT catch her nor will she go in the coop or pen anymore. I found her nesting in the dirt in a bush, well under her was over 10 eggs... the smell was really bad so I did get rid of them. Our roosters are not old enough ( I don't think) to breed. They never try that I see. Ever since she is CRAZY she is always PUFFED UP and just nuts, and now 2 of my other girls are with her and they wont go in the coop at night. I have NO CLUE where they go, they just go. Then I see them bright and early waiting for food. I'm not joking this girl is crazy. My hubby got hold of her 1 time a few days ago and put her in the pen, well kids let her out (GRR) 2 days later, they whole time she was in the pen she was NUTS like on chicken crack!! She was always puffed up, wold wipe her beak like she had OCD and would sit there and make sounds that i have never herd, now that the kids let her go she is fine, but she hates the coop... anyone have anything to say about this STRANGE GIRL? Since I got rid of her eggs she has not lay ed since.

 

[Goober1201]

I really dont know what to do for her, Ive tred putting treats in the coop, and even my other girls wont go in, I have to pick them all up 1 by 1 and put them in the coop every night.

 

[pertybirdy]

she is acting like my broody hens have been acting, the puffed up beak scraping cluck-dashing.. I dont have much advice as to get her cooped up, I am having trouble getting my mommies with chicks to coop up at night myself. (although they sat on their eggs in the nest boxes in the coop.) Maybe a dog house, or a carrier of some sort where she had a nest? maybe you can just let her go in that at night if she will, and you can lock it up..? (one of my mommas does this on my porch with her chicks- wont coop with the rest of them, I started them out there to keep them safe from a big black snake, and now I cant break the habit!) good luck!

 

[Goober1201]

Thanks, I have already tryed that believe it or not, she wont let me get close enough to the box to lock her up. I just hope my other girls don't do this. I'm scared that they will not lay in the coop and they will lay all over the 6 acres..uuggg. She is teaching them bad habits..lol. But she hasn't lay ed ever since I took those eggs from her and that was 4 days ago?

 

[Den in Penn]

If she was/is broody she won't lay. That's normal for a broody. To catch her you'll just have to be relentless in following her to see where she goes at night. Maybe this, the kids let her out, get them to follow her.

 

[Lacy Blues]

Yep, sounds like a broody. She won't lay for a while now.

If she'll go in a crate, you can wait til after dark to close the thing. Then you can carry her down to the pen and just set the crate in the pen.
... or...
In the morning, when she's waiting for her food, start feeding her closer and closer to the pen. Then one day you can just close the gate.

You said some nasty critters got some of your girls. Were they in the coop when that happened? That would explain her fear of the coop. She has an excellent memory!

 

[Goober1201]

thanks for getting back to me everyone. And YES, unfortunately they were all in the coop when in happened, something OPENED the slide latch. it was horrible. I cried and yes since then we have had allot of trouble with them going in there, her being the worst. I had 24 hens 4 roos, 6 ducks, 1 G hens and 4 turkey. I now have 10 hens, 4 roos, 4 turkey, 2 ducks, and 3 g hens. all within a week and 3 days. I have stayed up till 4 am the past 4 nights trying to see what this thing is to kill it, Ive set live traps and it has set them off but nothing in the trap nor no bait. I feel bad for all my babies.

 

[wastintime202]

we were having this problem with raccoons..they are so sneaky and smart..we finally tied a chicken drumstick to the back of the trap so they just couldn't get it and run..it worked..we caught four adult coons and one baby..so far no more problems...

 

[Goober1201]

I'm gonna have to try that. I feel bad that they wont even go in the coop and that I have to pick them up 1 by 1 to put them in there.

 

[Lacy Blues]

I would do the drumstick thing too. Also, maybe you need to change your latch system on the doors. Something that would take almost 3 hands to open. Maybe more than one lock.

I'm so sorry for the loss of your birds. Hopefully you can get your girls to go back in the coop and if you can get several locks on your coop door (wherever the coon is getting in) then it should once again become a safe place for them.