Leaves flock during day and comes back at night

[Ciaracelt]

This is my first post although I use the site often for guidance. I can’t find any information about my current situation so I’m hoping someone may be able to help.

I live in Maine and we’re just getting over a long, snow filled winter. We have 9 hens and 1 rooster that we got as chicks last April. We just started free ranging them about 2 weeks ago when most of the snow had melted. I noticed one chicken wasn’t leaving the coop and would roost all day. I shooed her out 2 consecutive days and the rooster would chase her and jump on her, not too rough but she would run right back to the coop. I separated her for 3 Days because I was worried she wasn’t coming down to eat or drink. She ate, drank, and had normal poop for these days. No signs of any illness or bullying wounds. I created a separate area for her when I reintroduced and only the rooster paid any attention to her. When I put her back in the coop with the rest, no one seemed to pay any attention. Just like before, she doesn’t go out with the rest in the morning when I open the coop. But, she flies off about 10-15 minutes later and the rooster chases her. He can never catch up with her. She does this everyday and comes back every night around dusk and nuzzles up to the rooster on the roost bars.
Any ideas as to why she won’t stay with the rest but knows enough to come back at night?

 

[junebuggena]

It might be that she's in a semi-broody state. Sometimes it takes a while for the hormones build up to the point of triggering full broodiness and sometimes they never do get quite strong enough.

 

[aart]

Welcome out of the closet, good first post.
Good that you isolated here for some observation and exam to rule out illness.
That is odd.
Could be semi-broody.
Where could she go, what surrounds your place??
Is she laying, did she take a winter break?

 

[Ciaracelt]

Welcome out of the closet, good first post.
Good that you isolated here for some observation and exam to rule out illness.
That is odd.
Could be semi-broody.
Where could she go, what surrounds your place??
Is she laying, did she take a winter break?

 

[abraga]

Sometimes a roo will give a hen a hard time. Especially hens that resist breeding. Hens that won't succumb to a roo may be bullied. Other scenario is that she' hiding a nest. If she gets to the point to where she quits comming back..id suspect she' sitting eggs. If she continues to leave and come home at night..then I'd suspect shes avoiding the roo..at which point you may want to consider finding her a suitable home with a different roo. Could b a hormone thing to that causes her to resist the roos advances. Some roos can get really annoyed with a hen that refuses to be bred by them.

 

[Ciaracelt]

They all took an end of the winter break from laying and some have started back up again. If she has started laying again, it’s not in the nesting boxes.
We have about 10 acres of woods behind us with lots of cut trails. My Corgi has found her a few times out there and sits with her. That’s the only reason I know where she goes.

 

[aart]

They all took an end of the winter break from laying and some have started back up again. If she has started laying again, it’s not in the nesting boxes.
We have about 10 acres of woods behind us with lots of cut trails. My Corgi has found her a few times out there and sits with her. That’s the only reason I know where she goes.

Cool that corgi finds her, valuable asset that dog.
So she's not visiting the neighbors.
It's a mystery that may resolve on it's own.....or by continued observation.


You could check her pelvic points to see if she's laying or not.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/who-is-laying-and-who-is-not-butt-check.73309/