Hi Everyone on BYC,
2 mornings ago one of my buff orpingtons, didn't leave the coop in the morning with the rest of her flock. I have a 2 story diy coop, gravel and open except for hardware cloth on the ground and second story is where they roost at night and have nests. I was afraid she might be ill or injured because she was just sitting on the ground not too far from the door that I'd opened to let them out into their larger run. I reached down to pet her but she got up and moved so I let her be and came down to check on her later. When I did she had gone up the ramp to the upper level and was peaking around the corner of the entrance at me.
Came out a couple hours later to check on her and she was out and up by our porch pecking at a watermelon rind. The chickens runs are almost 100 feet from our house. This morning, when I went down to let them out of the coop, she came out eat and drink with the rest of the flock, but when I went down to let them in the outer run, she was sitting inside a cat crate that I have in their area. She had her back to me, and just sat there. Came back a couple hours later and she is still standing in there. I have experienced several chickens over the time of raising chickens, being broody, of various extremes, but never any of these types of odd behaviors. Could this be a weird distortion of behavior of going to go into being broody, or the onset of going into a molt or possibly an illness?
During the day she is still coming out, but seems to be keeping a distance from the other hens. Except at night when she still roosting right next to the other buff orpington she was a chick with.
Has anyone ever seen this type of behavior? Or know what it may be attributed too?
2 mornings ago one of my buff orpingtons, didn't leave the coop in the morning with the rest of her flock. I have a 2 story diy coop, gravel and open except for hardware cloth on the ground and second story is where they roost at night and have nests. I was afraid she might be ill or injured because she was just sitting on the ground not too far from the door that I'd opened to let them out into their larger run. I reached down to pet her but she got up and moved so I let her be and came down to check on her later. When I did she had gone up the ramp to the upper level and was peaking around the corner of the entrance at me.
Came out a couple hours later to check on her and she was out and up by our porch pecking at a watermelon rind. The chickens runs are almost 100 feet from our house. This morning, when I went down to let them out of the coop, she came out eat and drink with the rest of the flock, but when I went down to let them in the outer run, she was sitting inside a cat crate that I have in their area. She had her back to me, and just sat there. Came back a couple hours later and she is still standing in there. I have experienced several chickens over the time of raising chickens, being broody, of various extremes, but never any of these types of odd behaviors. Could this be a weird distortion of behavior of going to go into being broody, or the onset of going into a molt or possibly an illness?
During the day she is still coming out, but seems to be keeping a distance from the other hens. Except at night when she still roosting right next to the other buff orpington she was a chick with.
Has anyone ever seen this type of behavior? Or know what it may be attributed too?
