ok is she broody or NOT!?

[rainbowlake mama hen]

HI all...a couple of weeks ago, I asked a question about my hen who had gone off shortly after I got new hens. She had just recently hatched some chicks and was just about 5 weeks out from them hatching. I assumed she had a nest in the woods and had gone broody again, so when she came home one day, I grabbed her and put her in chicken jail with an egg in case she wanted to sit (not fertile) She has not sat on it even once but when I tried to let her out, she took off again and stayed out all night. She sits up on the roost at night in her little chicken jail and never sits on the nest and is not laying. Not sure whether to keep her in jail a little longer (she's been in for a little over a week...more if you count the time before I tried letting her out) or to let her out and see what happens. I just don't want anything to happen to her. She is my daughters hen that she hatched in an incubator so I would hate for something to happen to her. could it be that she is just not happen with the new hens (she was head hen before but seems to have gotten knocked down a notch) and so she's choosing not to stick around? Not sure what to do....she's fine...seems to be eating fine and drinking....should I just leave her where she is a little longer?

 

[galanie]

I'd make sure she was safe in the coop or jail or something just so she doesn't get eaten. She's not broody though. Maybe she is like you say, not wanting to spend the night with the others, but too bad chickie. Can you close up the coop after putting her in there? That would be the best option. Make her stay in there at least a few days and she'll be ok.

 

[rainbowlake mama hen]

Thank you. She is in a wire crate within the run that can be closed up so tonight I think I'll let her out of the crate and into the run where she will also have access to the coop when the rest go to bed and see what she does. If she goes into the coop to sleep, then our problems may be over. Glad to know she's not broody. Weird!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had some chickens get beaten up so bad on the roosts that they don't want to sleep in there but want to sleep outside. That's usually younger chickens that have been raised by a broody and are fully integrated, but are definitely at the bottom of the pecking order. I had to keep putting them inside the coop at night for a long time. I don't know if that is going on with yours or not. Usually when this type if thing happens, they move to the top of the nest boxes and off the roosts, not out of the coop entirely, but I did have that one bunch!

I think you will probably have to physically put her in the coop at night to get her in that habit. If you can, you might consider increasing the roost area or maybe even putting a small roost a bit lower down and away from the others, sort of a refuge for her if the others are the problem. That's not always possible for all of us.

Good luck!

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

She's not broody but she may be laying eggs somewhere, watch her closely if you can and see where is she going?? They lay their eggs, and you can't tell until they actually start to set on them (then she's gone broody) she won't just accept a new nest site right off the bat...do you want to raise more chicks? I bet she has a new nest going on..If you want more chicks, I'd find the site and let her lay until she goes broody, then collect the whole thing and move it where you want. She isn't in alot of danger now but the eggs are vunerable. It all depends on what you want to do. you could move it now, maybe she'll take to it but will have to be locked up till she ttakes the new site