We have a flock of four. Three are about 28 weeks old and are now laying. The fourth is about 20 weeks old. We successfully integrated her into the flock at 9 weeks, and they all got along fine for quite some time.
In the past 3 weeks or so the youngest has become a loner. She does not hang out with the others in the run, often sitting down under the coop while the others scratch around, and when they free range, she often (though not always) will go off on her own. I have also noticed that she frequently has a very unusual gait: She lifts her feet all the way up to her breast as she walks, and does so very deliberately. Almost as if she is unsure about walking. This is not a constant behavior - but often when she has been still for a while.
Today her behavior has become a little more concerning. She spent almost the entire day in the coop on the roost, sitting on her feet, not standing. I just checked on them and found that she is now standing on the floor rather than on the roost! I have never seen her spend the night on the coop floor!
I am sure she is at the bottom of the pecking order, but I've never seen the others bully her. She always defers to the others. She seems to have a decent appetite, and seems to really enjoy some treats such as meal worms and the occasional strand of cooked spaghetti. She has been moulting for several weeks - her head is very "quilly" right now, and has been for a while. I wormed her about 4 weeks ago.
Does anyone have an idea what could be wrong?
In the past 3 weeks or so the youngest has become a loner. She does not hang out with the others in the run, often sitting down under the coop while the others scratch around, and when they free range, she often (though not always) will go off on her own. I have also noticed that she frequently has a very unusual gait: She lifts her feet all the way up to her breast as she walks, and does so very deliberately. Almost as if she is unsure about walking. This is not a constant behavior - but often when she has been still for a while.
Today her behavior has become a little more concerning. She spent almost the entire day in the coop on the roost, sitting on her feet, not standing. I just checked on them and found that she is now standing on the floor rather than on the roost! I have never seen her spend the night on the coop floor!
I am sure she is at the bottom of the pecking order, but I've never seen the others bully her. She always defers to the others. She seems to have a decent appetite, and seems to really enjoy some treats such as meal worms and the occasional strand of cooked spaghetti. She has been moulting for several weeks - her head is very "quilly" right now, and has been for a while. I wormed her about 4 weeks ago.
Does anyone have an idea what could be wrong?
