What to do with a pacing hen?

[Helga777]

I have a hen that is acting quite weird. All the rest of my hens are acting normal. She on the other hand is pacing back and forth along a fence line then goes into the hen house walks to the corner of it and then goes out and paces along the fence in the chicken run again. She does also however jump up into her nesting box and then immediately jumps down and does the cycle all over again. She seems so agitated making a worried sound as she does this. What's up with her? Anybody have a clue?

 

[sourland]

Have you been free ranging them? Sounds as if she has/wants a nest site and would like to get to it.

 

[Fred's Hens]

I've had a couple of hens like that. Once they've experienced freedom, some accept being in the run, while others do not, it seems.
I've also had a few pullets who had yet to experience free ranging, yet they paced and paced virtually non-stop in their grow out pens, convinced they could find an escape portal somewhere? Some are just wound a bit too tight, I guess.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Have you been free ranging them?  Sounds as if she has/wants a nest site and would like to get to it.

This. The only time I've seen a hen act like that, she had a hidden nest. That's why they were locked in the run, to break her from laying in the hidden nest and learn to lay in the coop. It took about a week to retrain her.

 

[Helga777]

Well, I definitely would call her one of my high strung hens. She always has a slight bald spot on her head where she has been scratching herself. I think she is the lowest on the pecking order too. She is always the one that gets up on the perch last at night. She is actually my sweetest hen. The one who will come to me first. Yes, I do let my hens out in my large fenced yard at least once a day when I am home. Maybe she is stashing eggs somewhere, hummm? I have been one egg short a day lately. I thought maybe she saw some predator and was worrying about it. Thanks for the suggestions. =)

 

[Fred's Hens]

Well, I definitely would call her one of my high strung hens. She always has a slight bald spot on her head where she has been scratching herself. I think she is the lowest on the pecking order too. She is always the one that gets up on the perch last at night. She is actually my sweetest hen. The one who will come to me first. Yes, I do let my hens out in my large fenced yard at least once a day when I am home. Maybe she is stashing eggs somewhere, hummm? I have been one egg short a day lately. I thought maybe she saw some predator and was worrying about it. Thanks for the suggestions. =)

Sounds very familiar. The pacing pullet or hen is often the lowest on the totem pole. In fact, I've watched the bullies and even otherwise fairly nice pullets whack the pacer on the head every time she passes by, pacing back and forth relentlessly. Not to project anthropomorphic ideas, but it's like they are trying to get the bird to Stop Pacing!! It's kind of tough to watch. As if the other pullets or hens sense something of the neurosis of the low rung bird. The pecks on the head you describe ring true to some of my own experiences over the years.

I've not ever really found a "cure" for such birds, sadly. Yes, they are often the most human friendly, but just cannot "fit in" well with the flock.
Now, certainly, a hen searching to go to her hidden nest acts very similar to this, but I've seen this behavior even in pre-lay pullets.

 

[Helga777]

I have three 2 month old pullets that I just put out in their own small pen and hen house next to the hens. The hen that seems the most interested in my three new pullets is this particular hen. I've named her Sweet Pea. Anyway, maybe she would be the best one to be put with the pullets first, come Summertime when I planned to combine them all. Maybe she is looking at them and thinking "finally, I'm not the lowest now!"

 

[sourland]

I have three 2 month old pullets that I just put out in their own small pen and hen house next to the hens. The hen that seems the most interested in my three new pullets is this particular hen. I've named her Sweet Pea. Anyway, maybe she would be the best one to be put with the pullets first, come Summertime when I planned to combine them all. Maybe she is looking at them and thinking "finally, I'm not the lowest now!"

"Finally , I'm not the lowest now! I'll just get in there and kick their butts."