One chicken starting to roost outside henhouse- low on pecking order?

[megwidmer]

We currently have 12 hens and one rooster- At the end of summer one of the buff orpingtons went missing for about 4 days then mysteriously reappeared after I had accepted that a predator got her. Since then, she often would try to roost in the nest boxes at night, rather then up on the roost with the rest. I would take her out and put her back up when I go out to close up the doors, since I know roosting in nest boxes is a bad habit. Lately now, she has been staying out and roosting on top of the water bowl that is outside under the hen house. It's usually in the single digits to 20 degrees here in winter, so again, we transfer her back in when we find her outside (usually with wet feathers). Just wondering if anyone has insight on this behavior...apparently she is the lowest in the pecking order- I just found the whole disappearing act so odd, and weirder that it seemed like the others didn't want to take her back on the roost...
Thanks in advance. Meg

 

[Free Feather]

My chickens do that, the ones low on the pecking order. I just bring them back in and make a point of looking at all the other chickens like "Just try it". I am a part of the pecking order in my flock. Some say you can cause cockerel aggression, but no boys raised by me, even the game birds, show aggression.