She just left?

[Picotine]

Hi,

i'm rather puzzled. yesterday, i was outside in my garden/backyard with my baby around 6 pm and both my barred rock hens were around. about 8:30 when i went to check on them and feed and refresh water for the new chicks, there was only one hen in the coop. they've been free ranging for 2 years without issues. i called, shaking a can with bird seeds... one of their favorite treat, they always come running when they hear that. but no sight of my top mother hen. i closed the coop, kept an eye to see if she'd show up at the door till it got dark. i figured that either she found a safe place to perch for the night or something ate her.

this morning, she showed back up at our front door around 11 am. we gave her a treat, she stuck around for about 1 hour and then disappeared again. still wont answer to call the rest of the day. she's roughly 2 years old but usually it's the other hen that would go broody. don't know what to think of her disappearance. at least it look like it's of her own free will but why?

 

[Kernel Cluck]

My guess is that she has gone broody and is trying to hatch somewhere. I would follow her the next time she leaves and see if you can find a nest. You didn't mention a rooster so her efforts will be in vain. You should sit her down and explain the birds and the bees.

Sorry. I couldn't help it. Good luck to you.

 

[Picotine]

yes, if she went broody, it will be in vain. her sister always went broody on the nesting box so we had no disappearing issues with her. we got them as day old, a dozen of them. ended up with 10 roosters. we tried to keep 2 but they were too agressive on the kids, that's why there's no roos anymore. being that i have a kiddo under a year old. i don't really have time to follow her around much. i will try my best. if she's indeed sitting on eggs, i hope she's in a safe spot. i heard that raccoons love eggs.

i'm also afraid she might dehydrate quickly if she only get off her eggs once a day for 1 hour in this heat wave

 

[Kernel Cluck]

You may need to keep them locked up to break her out of the broodiness. I know there are threads on BYC about what to do with a broody hen. Try the search option but I bet that is what is going on. Good luck to you

 

[Picotine]

she came back this afternoon, i caught her and locked her in the coop.

i'm not sure about finding her nest though. do you think if she find it back, she'd get right back at it?
now that we have her back, i'll have to have that bird and bee's talk with her