Why won't my chicken come out of her roost?

[Larns to the ski]

I really need some advice. I just brought Nancy (mature hen) home on the weekend as she was being so badly bullied by the chickens she was with that I wanted to take her in. I am getting some others this week so they can be social together. She is eating and drinking when I am with her (I think she really loves humans) but she hasn't come out of her roost at all today. Is she just settling in or should I be worried. I have a dog, maybe she is scared of him? Although he is so gentle could that be why? She is secure and he can't touch her.

 

[BullChick]

 

[BullChick]

It could be all of the above. Chickens are social animals, so she’s probably very lonely. She is settling in, and it is normal for birds to take up to a month or so to have the courage to come outside. She could also be afraid of your dog on top of the other things.

 

[Larns to the ski]

Ok thank you. I will be patient with her and spend some time with her too.
Any other recommendations to make her happy? Apart from getting her a couple more hens to play with?

 

[Aunt Angus]

It's very kind of you to take her in! Keep us updated. I'm sure she'll warm up soon.

 

[drumstick diva]

Chickens take awhile to adapt to changes(of any nature). I'm sure she will be fine. Nancy is such a beautiful name- okay so I am a Nancy too! Two new hens (assuming they came from the same place) may bully her.

You may want to consider slow integration with the new birds, with divider fence between them- so they can look but not touch.

 

[Larns to the ski]

I have heard this. I will make sure I get a new one this week that is smaller than her. Let them settle in and then try for a 3rd. Do you think getting a less mature one would help? She wouldn't bully. Seriously, this hen is so delightful. She is a rescue hen and I really think that she was a family friendly free range pet. I will get 1 to start and go from there.

Thank you.

 

[drumstick diva]

OR you might want to keep her as a house chicken. The human connection becomes her flock. There is a thread you could check out, I believe called "House chickens." some even have ducks in the home ie, "show us your house ducks."

My friend may have been the original house chicken lady, she has had one or more in the house for over 30 years. Different breeds etc. but, mostly silkies or seramas which are small docile breeds. Seramas originated in Malaysia to be house pets.

 

[ValerieJ]

Hi! Welcome to BYC! Sounds like you are getting great advice already. Thanks for taking her in.

 

[feathermaid]

Moving to a new home can be very stressful, especially for a single bird, and it can take a couple weeks to settle in. But getting more chickens may not solve the problem immediately, you'll still need to take introductions slowly... I think getting only one more hen to start with is a good idea, would be a more even playing field.

How big is your coop and run? Do you plan to free range as well?

Here's a few links to help with integration:
See But Don’t Touch
Adding to Your Flock
Introducing A Single Hen to an Existing Flock

I personally like to only add chicks to my flock (I'm just too worried about parasites and disease with adult birds) It's also very easy and fun if you have the proper setup:
Integrating at 4 weeks old
My older single remaining hen did very well when I added 3 chicks, then all those girls took on a couple more babies the following year with no issues.

Best wishes starting your new chicken adventure!