My chicken is hiding in the nesting box

[ztiller1]

One of my chickens is apparently low in the pecking order and spends all her time in the nesting box where the others can't pick on her. Any ideas or suggestions on how to break these behaviors?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Photos of your set up, both coop and run? Is she a newly integrated bird or did you get all your birds at the same time? How many chickens do you have and how old are they?

 

[MeliticusBee]

Are you sure she isn't broody?

 

[ztiller1]

Are you sure she isn't broody?

positive...put her in with babies i just receivedin the mail andshe pecked at them and wouldn't accept them

 

[SiDaStuff]

Hmmm...

 

[NatJ]

positive...put her in with babies i just receivedin the mail andshe pecked at them and wouldn't accept them

A broody hen wants to sit on eggs.
If you put her in with baby chicks, she usually will peck them.
She usually has to sit on the nest for about 3 weeks before she is ready to accept chicks.

(But individual hens differ: a few will adopt chicks right away after they go broody, many will adopt chicks after they've been sitting for 3 weeks, some never will adopt chicks they have not hatched themselves, and a few will even kill chicks that hatch underneath them from eggs they have incubated.)

 

[SiDaStuff]

I had that problem with one of my chickens and
the best way to fix it is to give the chickens that are hurting her and let her out of the nest box to get some water and food. Or if that doesn't work then you may need to separate them. YOU DO NOT want a dead chicken!

 

[ztiller1]

ok...i have my answer guys.....ready????? SHE IS THE AGGRESSOR. they gang up on her . She is a bully. When I bring her out into the yard, the others line up in the yard along the fence with their backs turned to her and don't make eye contact. she is across the yard from them. Three will gang up on her to fight her and she will retreat to the box to hide. My sister's housekeeper (from Bolivia) told me to squirt them with a little cold water to break them up and they would quit fighting. She was right. Once this chicken was squirted for fighting, she stopped being aggressive. The other chickens will now walk by her in the enclosure to test her and see if she is going to attack them. I am slowly seeing the chickens relaxing in the pen and returning to being chickens instead of being prey. They have started to lay eggs again .

 

[SiDaStuff]

ok...i have my answer guys.....ready????? SHE IS THE AGGRESSOR. they gang up on her . She is a bully. When I bring her out into the yard, the others line up in the yard along the fence with their backs turned to her and don't make eye contact. she is across the yard from them. Three will gang up on her to fight her and she will retreat to the box to hide. My sister's housekeeper (from Bolivia) told me to squirt them with a little cold water to break them up and they would quit fighting. She was right. Once this chicken was squirted for fighting, she stopped being aggressive. The other chickens will now walk by her in the enclosure to test her and see if she is going to attack them. I am slowly seeing the chickens relaxing in the pen and returning to being chickens instead of being prey. They have started to lay eggs again .

Good job!

 

[MAT10]

Photos of your set up, both coop and run? Is she a newly integrated bird or did you get all your birds at the same time? How many chickens do you have and how old are they?

I have the same problem. Thought she was broody at first but now, not sure. Tried blocking the nesting area til she dropped an egg in the run (made me feel bad) She is a sweet, cuddly Faverol.
2022- Got a RIR, WLH, EE, BO & LO
2023- Intergrated Red Sexlink, BCM, BAutralorp, SLW, & the SF. Faverol is definitely at the bottom. They've all been doing fine until a couple days ago, aside from the occasional peck. However, RIR & EE has been chasing her so today they went to jail
BUT, she keeps going back to nest no matter how many times I take her out. She is eating & drinking and mingling to some degree. The isolated 'jailhouse birds'have helped that some. She hasn't layed since 8/23 but did EVERY day 8/13-21. The older hens are moulting right now.
I am at a loss. Would post a set-up pic of their coop but don't know how.
HELP!