Perching issues

[GG Brit]

One of my six-month hens has started to sleep in a nesting box. She went broody a week or so ago and I separated her out as recommended in a separate coop. She slept on the wire floor although she had access to a perch.

so she is now not broody but every evening she uses a nesting box to sleep in. I have been taking her out and putting her on the perch and she is staying there. This evening I covered up her preferred box and she went into a second level nesting box instead. I moved her from
there to the perch and closed access to all the boxes. She again stayed on the perch.

Anyone have any thoughts on why she might be doing this? I also can’t tell if she is laying as her eggs look very similar to one of my other hens.

Thank you!

 

[aart]

She slept on the wire floor although she had access to a perch.

Was the wire floor raised off the ground?

Sounds like she is still broody?
Is it only at night that she goes to the nests?
Block all the nests an hour before roost time.

 

[GG Brit]

Was the wire floor raised off the ground?

Sounds like she is still broody?
Is it only at night that she goes to the nests?
Block all the nests an hour before roost time.

The wire was on the ground. I think you’re right that she is still broody. I assumed she wasn’t as she is not using the nesting boxes during the day but she still seems not quite herself. I’ll cover up all boxes this evening and see what happens. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

 

[aart]

The wire was on the ground. I think you’re right that she is still broody. I assumed she wasn’t as she is not using the nesting boxes during the day but she still seems not quite herself. I’ll cover up all boxes this evening and see what happens. Thank you for taking the time to respond.

Wire bottomed broody breaker works best when raised off the ground for airflow underneath.

As to if she actually broody, here are my go-to signs:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

If she's just sleeping in the nest at night she may be not welcome on the roost,
maybe because she's low bird or she's acting weird(broody) or because she was gone from the flock while breaking her before.

​

 

[HenneryTheEighth]

Wire bottomed broody breaker works best when raised off the ground for airflow underneath.

As to if she actually broody, here are my go-to signs:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

If she's just sleeping in the nest at night she may be not welcome on the roost,
maybe because she's low bird or she's acting weird(broody) or because she was gone from the flock while breaking her before.

​

“…does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?”’ That is the PERFECT description!

 

[GG Brit]

Well, I covered all the boxes and for two nights she has perched with the other three hens with no problem. I did find an egg earlier in the day in the place where she was confined for the one night.

now there seems to be another issue - I went to shut them in for the night - she was on her own on the perch and the other three were roosting outside up on a high crossbar that’s part of a structure they use to jump on. I took them off and placed on the usual perch inside. They don’t seem to have any bullying issues on the ground so am puzzled by this latest development. Anyone had similar behavior? I don’t want Herero be an outcast. Thank you!

 

[3KillerBs]

Well, I covered all the boxes and for two nights she has perched with the other three hens with no problem. I did find an egg earlier in the day in the place where she was confined for the one night.

now there seems to be another issue - I went to shut them in for the night - she was on her own on the perch and the other three were roosting outside up on a high crossbar that’s part of a structure they use to jump on. I took them off and placed on the usual perch inside. They don’t seem to have any bullying issues on the ground so am puzzled by this latest development. Anyone had similar behavior? I don’t want Herero be an outcast. Thank you!

Is that crossbar higher than their perch in the coop?

 

[GG Brit]

Yes but they have been using the inside perch with no issues for the past four months- this is the first time they have done this. Unfortunately due to the configuration of the coop I can’t put in higher perches.