What was she doing??

[ntjpm]

We have 8 Chickens, they are all the same age, 7 almost 8 months old. We got them in August and they have been laying eggs and doing normal chicken things. They lay the eggs in their boxes, they roost at night where they are supposed to, all behaving just like they should.

Every night after they put themselves to bed I go out a couple of times just to check on them and make sure there are no problems and that they are all ok. Tonight when I went to check on them (about 2 hrs after dark, when they normally put themselves to bed) I did my normal head count and I was missing one. I counted again and still only 7. I run in the house and get a flashlight and open up the coop to try and find her. She is nowhere to be found. Finally I look over to the nesting boxes and lo and behold she is laying in there happy as a clam.

I shoooed her out and she eventually jumped up to the roosting bar right up on top where she normally is. What was up with that? Why would she decide that now is a good time to sleep there? She was trying to lay an egg at night was she? Was I right to shoo her out??

Thanks for your help, Tracy in WA

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Keep an eye on her. If she keeps doing it, day and night, and gets all puffed up and upset when you move her then you might find that you have a broody one.

 

[ntjpm]

Shoot I hadn't even thought of that. Thanks I will keep an eye out for her. Is it a good sign that she is out of the nest roosting right now? I will keep checking on her tonight to make sure she stays there.

Tracy in Wa

 

[NonnasBabies]

Yay Chicks! :

Keep an eye on her. If she keeps doing it, day and night, and gets all puffed up and upset when you move her then you might find that you have a broody one.

X2

But I also had a Speckled Sussex that started doing this out the blue. I would just go in and move her every evening and she eventually stopped!!

 

[luvinmychickens]

You've got a broody! I am trying to break my broody right now. Mine sleeps in the nesting box, and stays in there all day. But NO eggs. A broody will stay in the nesting box, but she won't lay anything.

How to Break a Broody Hen

 

[ntjpm]

Thanks I am watching her to see what she does today and I am also picking up a wire cage. In case I need to put her in Brood Jail.

Silly hen sigh....
Tracy in WA

 

[Ridgerunner]

She may be broody. I'd say that's a real strong possibility.

Another possibility that I have experienced is that sometimes the chicken(s) lowest in the pecking order get bullied real bad on the roosts as they are getting settled in for the night. The chicken getting bullied seeks a safer place to sleep than the roost. With me, it has always been immature chicks, usually broody raised that are fully integrated with the flock but that really get beat up on the roosts. I've provided an extra roost, away from and lower than the main ones but above the nest boxes, to try to help out in this situation. I've still had to physically move some from the nest boxes to this roost to train them, even though it is higher. It is not as well protected from the bully as an enclosed box.