Unsuccessful hatch, formerly isolated hen being abused

[dukefan70]

One of my buff orps went broody. This was my first try hatching eggs period, so I did research and opted to keep her with a nest area food and water in a large dog kennel INSIDE the coop so she wouldn't be too isolated. Long story short none hatched, but that's loaded with questions for a different thread. Day 26 I finally gave up and let her out and she didn't seem to be broody anymore once out of the kennel.

When she got with the other chickens, they started pecking her. She was always the low one on the totem pole, but it was never like this. The rooster doesn't seem to be interested in protecting her too much, just jumping her for other reasons. (One of the big advantages I saw with a rooster was an established hierarchy where they wouldn't peck each other badly and he kept order.) My other buff orp seemed to actually be sticking up for her for a while, but now she's abusing her too. She's pretty much a recluse inside the coop now and whenever she ventures into the pen, she gets pecked by the hens and jumped by the rooster in either order before fleeing back inside. The hens won't even let her roost up with them but keep pecking her until she moves lower or jumps down entirely.

Are they just getting it out of their system? I'm hoping it will go back to normal in a few days. Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Mrs. K]

This is a problem with separating the broody hen, she has become a stranger to the flock, so in essence, you have inadvertently added a single bird into an existing flock, and that is a hard sell to do.

If she goes broody, or another one goes broody, mark the eggs and leave her be. Do not put the water and feed close to her. She will get off the nest once a day or so, go out eat, poop and get a drink. Generally Broody hens rise in the hierarchy as they are so crabby, I swear my rooster tiptoes around them! haha But the ability to go out and be with the flock, everyday, keeps her place within the flock.

Mark your eggs, and every 5-6 days, make her get off the nest, or be down there when she gets off the nest, so that you can check the eggs, and make sure no one has added to the clutch. Too many eggs will cause the clutch to go bad.

Sometimes you just get unlucky, did you open the eggs at all to see if any of them developed at all?

Mrs K