Hi, I'm new to Backyard Chickens, but I have been reading forums here the whole time that I have had chickens. We have 5 laying hens, 3 RIR's and 2 black australorps. We just got the australorps in May because our old hens were not laying as much as they used to. We also just got our first egg from one pullet! Anyways, one of our RIR's has just started to sleep in the nesting box. I am not sure how old she is because we got her and the other 2 RIR's from a family friend who had hundreds of chickens. But she recently started to walk different and her feathers are very rough and old looking. She doesn't act the same as she used to either. She is still very happy, but I'm worried about her sleeping in the nesting box. Is it because she can't jump up onto the roost? Anyways, I haven't been able to find anything that will tell me what is wrong with her (if there is anything wrong), but I also can't find any threads about it, so I decided to make my own, haha
Hi there, First thing I would do is check her feet - perhaps she has a foot problem like bumblefoot. That would make roosting painful for her. Does she have lice/mites? check her feathers. Is she starting to molt? Start with the small stuff and work your way up, keep us posted.
Is she still laying? If not, how long ago did she stop? She may be egg bound. Something is awry with her, her feathers probably look rough because she hasn't been preening herself. Has anything changed for the flock, which may be stressing her? Hopefully someone will help you figure this out.
Welcome to the BYC flock! We are glad you joined us! Any chance the younger, more energetic, members of your flock are not allowing her to roost and she has started using the nesting box as an alternative to the roost?
Hello! Welcome to BYC and the coop! There's a lot of great peeps here! Feel free to ask lots of questions. But most of all, make yourself at home. I'm so glad you decided to joined the BYC family.
If you can't determine a physical issue with your older girl than I would guess she is being bullied off the roost by 1 or more of the other birds. How much roosting space do you have in the coop? For them to be comfortable, they need about 12" per bird but of course, more is always better.
