I Can't Figure This Out

[Chullicken]

Have several issues all evolving around one. Recently has a year and half old Austrolorp go broody and had her separated from he rest. Before I separated her, I noticed the rest of the flock was treating her like complete sh*t when she would come out for a few minutes to eat, drink and dust bathe. Even the rooster was pecking her head. She eats, drinks, poops just fine and I didn't notice anything unusual in her stools. Only thing I've noticed so far after about 25 days is her comb etc. It was a bright red early in the year, now its more pale and peach colored. I've added some VetRex and Oregano/Pepper Flakes to her daily treat ration. (Entire flock was wormed in Feb) Still remains peach colored. She has noticeable weight loss which I think is due in part to her being broody for the last month.

She managed to break all her brooding eggs over the last several weeks and finished it out with an empty nest. So, I'm letting her have the run of the lawn in the evenings. Every time she gets near the main run, the head hen postures up and they noticeably attack each other through the mesh. It even causes my rooster to posture towards the Alpha hen and he beats her down. Her isolation pen is within sound and eye distance of the main flock, just several feet away.** So, I'm highly considering keeping her by herself with her own housing and run next to the main flock. Possibly add some roommates for her in the spring.

My current set up for six hens and one rooster is a 4 x 4 coop with an attached 7 x 8 run. I'm currently building a 4 x 8 x 8 coop with an attached 16 x 19 run. Just taking me a little longer than usual. The entire flock is approx. 14 months old. I'm also noticing a new issue, an excessive amount of feathers all around the place. Half of my roosters tail is now gone, but I have never noticed them picking each other. Apologies for the length, just everything has been fine for the last year. Last few months everything just seems to be imploding on me. Any help, advice and tips would be appreciated. Thank you.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Broody hens are disruptive and it's normal for the others to fight with them. Separating her out has made it worse for her as now she's lost her position totally in the flock and the pecking order will be in chaos with her return.

Not every broody hen is a good mom, many are bad at it their first time, and some are never good at it.

When a hen isn't laying her comb color fades and the comb shrinks back as a sign to the rooster that she's no longer fertile.

I would pen her next to or within the current set up for a week or two and hopefully things get worked out through the fence.

Birds are starting to molt already. Roosters generally molt before the hens, so that's why you are seeing feathers.

 

[Chullicken]

Broody hens are disruptive and it's normal for the others to fight with them. Separating her out has made it worse for her as now she's lost her position totally in the flock and the pecking order will be in chaos with her return.

Not every broody hen is a good mom, many are bad at it their first time, and some are never good at it.

When a hen isn't laying her comb color fades and the comb shrinks back as a sign to the rooster that she's no longer fertile.

I would pen her next to or within the current set up for a week or two and hopefully things get worked out through the fence.

Birds are starting to molt already. Roosters generally molt before the hens, so that's why you are seeing feathers.

Wow..Had chickens off and on for a few years and never really had the opportunity to deal with a broody hen. Was recommended I isolate her do to the culture change and possible illness. Looking back I guess that wasn't a great decision on my part. Kind of caused the issues. Ok, thought maybe it was a molting thing, but just wanted validation on that. Great advice, I'll definitely rectify the situation as prescribed. Thank you very much, I feel a lot better about the situation and a lot more knowledge on the subject. Thanks so much!

 

[lazy gardener]

Is she still acting broody? If so, you need to break her right away, and it's going to be a tough process b/c she's been in that hormonal state for so long. I would try to get some animal protein into her. And, I sound like a broken record, but IMO... I think the difficulties you are seeing are in part related to not having enough space.

 

[Pat Mcaffee]

I have a speckled Sussex that went broody and was shoved out. Now, even after she's hatched chicks, the flock won't accept her. Sometimes you just have to isolate them.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I agree with LG, I think space is a big part of your problem. I think life will be easier when you finish that build-out. And keep the old one, it gives you a lot of flexibility in how you manage them when issues pop up if you have a second coop/run available. I have a set-up similar with a door between the two runs so they can use all of it or, if I need to, I can isolate the coop/runs.

As OHLD said, when they are not laying the comb loses it's bright color. And yes, it sounds like the molt.

The main reason I'm posting is to ask how she managed to break all her eggs? Whether she is isolated or not that should not happen unless something is wrong. When hens get on and off the nest, whether broody or just laying eggs in a nest that already has eggs in it, they walk on the eggs. The egg shells are normally tough enough that they are not damaged. I have found broken eggs under a broody (once) and just in the nests where they were laying (a few times). Those egg shells were pretty thin to start with. I'd think if your egg shells were all regularly that thin you'd be finding broken eggs in the nests where they were just laying so I doubt thin shells were your problem. I'll mention it just because it is sometimes a problem.

What I'd guess might have happened is that a rat or something was eating the eggs. I've had a snake eat eggs out from under a broody hen before but a snake leaves no evidence, it swallows the egg whole. Of course with living animals anything is possible, she may have broken those eggs herself by being rough. There might be something about that nest that made it easy for the eggs to be broken. But you might want to consider whether something was eating the eggs in case you want to use that set-up again.

 

[Chullicken]

I agree with LG, I think space is a big part of your problem. I think life will be easier when you finish that build-out. And keep the old one, it gives you a lot of flexibility in how you manage them when issues pop up if you have a second coop/run available. I have a set-up similar with a door between the two runs so they can use all of it or, if I need to, I can isolate the coop/runs.

As OHLD said, when they are not laying the comb loses it's bright color. And yes, it sounds like the molt.

The main reason I'm posting is to ask how she managed to break all her eggs? Whether she is isolated or not that should not happen unless something is wrong. When hens get on and off the nest, whether broody or just laying eggs in a nest that already has eggs in it, they walk on the eggs. The egg shells are normally tough enough that they are not damaged. I have found broken eggs under a broody (once) and just in the nests where they were laying (a few times). Those egg shells were pretty thin to start with. I'd think if your egg shells were all regularly that thin you'd be finding broken eggs in the nests where they were just laying so I doubt thin shells were your problem. I'll mention it just because it is sometimes a problem.

What I'd guess might have happened is that a rat or something was eating the eggs. I've had a snake eat eggs out from under a broody hen before but a snake leaves no evidence, it swallows the egg whole. Of course with living animals anything is possible, she may have broken those eggs herself by being rough. There might be something about that nest that made it easy for the eggs to be broken. But you might want to consider whether something was eating the eggs in case you want to use that set-up again.

Talked to a few fowl friends over the last few weeks and this posting, seems everything is 'normal' as it can be. Even the rooster has lost his firs set of tail feathers and looks like an a**less emu now. Hens look a lot more filled out since I posted the original question, looking really good.

I will find a broken egg on occasions in the main coop, but that is rare. Maybe one ever few months. I currently and probably will leave her until I add a condo on to the new coop for her to be in. Her personal brooding box is a 12" x 12" box, very similar to a rabbit nesting box and I filled it to the brim with cut straw which she loves. Pen is a modified rabbit cage with very small dimension hardware cloth, impossible for a rodent to get in when locked up.This was also her first time and she is a rather rotund Austrolorp hen. Think she is just a bit brutish.

She's past brooding now, but really has shined since being taken out of the main flock. She comes right up to me now (I let her out a few days a week for a few hours to run around) with access to a chunk of flock block, daily vegetables and all the grass she can stand as well as clumps of fresh chopped straw in her pen daily. I ensure she has all the comforts of 'home'. She had two siblings, one was re homed because she turned out to be a he and her sister was murdered on the lawn by something sadly. She really isolated herself after those two things..was kind of sad. They'd always hang out together away from my other chickens. She's really becoming my favorite so I think its the best for her. Her soon to be attached mini coop will run along the new run as well so she'll still have smells and visuals of the flock, just not physical interaction. Seems my red sex links I have two varieties, ones with white wings and ones that look almost identical to NH Red hens. The white winged ones are bossy, moody and aggressive. Thinking those could be a RIR variety. While the other ones are very calm and get alone with everyone else. Saying this, I may make some changes next spring as to whom is with who.