Silkie not leaving the coop

[camire77]

Okay we have a small wooden box that we put in the coop during the summer in hopes that the silkies would lay eggs in there not just wherever. Since the weather has gotten cold our one silkie barely leaves the coop. She sits in that box all the time. When we open the door to the run she comes out and eats a little and drinks and goes back in. We have taken her out to free range and she does the same. I thought she might be laying on an egg but the last one we got out of there was a week ago. She seems to be energetic while she is out and other then that she isn't acting any different. All the other silkies are doing fine. Should we be concerned? Should we bring her in for the winter? Could she just think she is keeping an egg warm when there isn't one there?

 

[SunkenRoadFarms]

Sounds like she's gone broody. Does she only come out to relieve herself once a day?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

^ x2. Are you seeing broody poops? You'd definitely know them if you'd seen them, they look more like they came out of a rather large dog than a chicken. Do you plan on giving her eggs to hatch if she is brooding? If not, you may want to separate her into a wire bottom cage (with no bedding) and break her so she doesn't continue to sit and loose weight.

Good luck.