So, Thursday night I went to check the girls when I got home from work. About 10:30pm. Normally the pop door is shut by then but someone forgot. So I shut the pop door on the north side that leads to the run and walked around back to the south side and went in the man door. I use a small flashlight to look around but not disturb my sleeping girls. As I was doing my head count a masked face was looking back at me. I stuck my head out the man door and started screaming. The DBF came running. It took us 1/2 hour to 40 min to finally get the bugger out. We were going to dispatch it but couldn't do that IN the coop. Unfortunately it escaped.
During this time my girls were oddly calm. Some even had a late night snack. At one point my head hen Bossy put up a ruckus but didn't try and fight the coon like I would think a rooster would. No chickens were harmed.
Now she isn't going to roost at night. The last 2 nights we have found her in the run hunkered down in the tall weeds. She laid an egg on Friday (as did most of the girls) but we didn't get any eggs today. Until I picked her up from the weeds again at about 9pm and found her sitting on it. She is always my first egg of the day.
Even when I put her in the coop she's laying on the ground. I've checked her over and have found nothing wrong physically. She acted normal all day. Her usual Bossy self. I'm worried. This is so out of the ordinary for her. I did recently expand the flock and got what I'm thinking is going to be a rooster. I'm basing this guess on body size alone. No crowing or attempts at being in charge. Could Bossy be feeling dethroned?
Any ideas on what's up with my Bossy girl would be greatly appreciated.
During this time my girls were oddly calm. Some even had a late night snack. At one point my head hen Bossy put up a ruckus but didn't try and fight the coon like I would think a rooster would. No chickens were harmed.
Now she isn't going to roost at night. The last 2 nights we have found her in the run hunkered down in the tall weeds. She laid an egg on Friday (as did most of the girls) but we didn't get any eggs today. Until I picked her up from the weeds again at about 9pm and found her sitting on it. She is always my first egg of the day.
Even when I put her in the coop she's laying on the ground. I've checked her over and have found nothing wrong physically. She acted normal all day. Her usual Bossy self. I'm worried. This is so out of the ordinary for her. I did recently expand the flock and got what I'm thinking is going to be a rooster. I'm basing this guess on body size alone. No crowing or attempts at being in charge. Could Bossy be feeling dethroned?
Any ideas on what's up with my Bossy girl would be greatly appreciated.
