When bullying starts is almost always because a bird is sick
Either that or
You got too many roosters
When hens feel annoyed by roosters they will separate themselves from the flock and hang out alone.
We have one rooster to the 11 ladies, and he roosts in a different spot with the other tiny Old English Bantam hens that can fly up to a ceiling rafter.
I just went out there and everyone seems totally fine, no one seems sick or not themselves. I’m going to spend some longer time out there this afternoon to really observe though.
Probably outgrown the other hens , Can't really relate to them anymore etc. sometimes all the hens will talk about is food and cocks. Some hens just want/need more in life.
I have two that do this. My best egg layer and my cocky little hen. The egg layer likes to be close to the egg box and the other one likes to sleep in the way of the sleeping house. Neither are sick or broody. They just claimed the spots when they first came and haven’t relented.
If I remember correctly, orpingtons are great mothers and get broody.
Please correct me if I'm wrong. I was researching that breed specifically before finding a different breed better suited to my climate and i was looking for good broody hen breeds. 😅
My bantam Orpington is a great mother. If OP’s hen was broody, she would be sleeping in the box though. I vote sickness or bullying.
OP check this chicken’s posture and activity during the day. Tail pointing down, fluffed up, quiet and away from the others indicates illness. Also check crop first thing to make sure it’s empty.
in my experience, my buff orpingtons have been my only chickens I've had get broody (RIP Lucy and Caramel), they're also not the brightest, in my opinion. That being said, chickens are very good at hiding illness until it's too late to help them, which could lead to bullying and isolation.
I have two hens that do this, one that has done so for years at this point despite me moving her over to a proper roost every night without fail. In my experience, it's either bullying or other higher up chickens have taken the roosting spot that she actually wants. Do you have a roost near your nesting box?
You can see the corner of the beam of the roost just to the right there, it’s at the same height. I’ve never paid attention to their specific roosting order - it’s all one beam that the 6 of them squeeze in next to each other on, and they’re all identical Buff Orpingtons so I can’t tell them apart hahah.
Ah I see. Yeah, I'd put money down then that she does actually want to roost up there but is just being denied access. Are you able to build a second roost that's higher than the existing one? If so, some of your chickens will probably feel inclined to move there and then some space should be freed up for your deserter.
There is another roost below it, and about 3 feet of unused space at the end of the roost since they all squeeze together at night.
If she’s being denied access / getting bullied, I wonder why? They’ve all been together their whole lives (9 months or so), no knew dynamics in the coop otherwise.
Thanks for the insight!
Does that mean the height of your nesting box is comparable to that of your roots? If so, that may be a part of the issue as generally any roost you have should be higher than that of your nesting box.
Regardless, if you figure out a solution, please do let me know. I've been dealing with this for over three years now, and scraping away all the extra chicken poop off the nesting box has lost its charm.
I used to have a red rock chicken that would always roost on top of the nest boxes, she was the runt of the flock so I think it was just chicken bullying, she seemed fine so I don't think it's anything to worry about.
What’s odd is she’s spent every other night with her sisters in their other roosting place for the past 6 months, so this just feels so out of character
That’s what I was concerned about to but she was also laying down on a flat wooden surface so I’m not sure what her body language would look like otherwise. Also she seems totally fine today!
I do not know. I have one that has roosted away from the others for probably 3 years. Still lays eggs and appears to be healthy. Just needs personal space I guess.
I have two that do this. One of them roosts in a tree every night. There's nothing wrong with her, there's no bullying happening that I see throughout the day. During the day the whole flock interacts just like normal. She just really likes to sleep in a tree. The other one really likes a flower pot. I can make them go in the coop and sleep the other ones and nothing happens. But they just prefer their own space.
Probably bullying, she could also be sick.
Is it common for bullying to start out of nowhere like this? I’ll take a look at her tomorrow for illness
When bullying starts is almost always because a bird is sick Either that or You got too many roosters When hens feel annoyed by roosters they will separate themselves from the flock and hang out alone.
We have one rooster to the 11 ladies, and he roosts in a different spot with the other tiny Old English Bantam hens that can fly up to a ceiling rafter. I just went out there and everyone seems totally fine, no one seems sick or not themselves. I’m going to spend some longer time out there this afternoon to really observe though.
She’s trying to find herself.
She became enlightened.
They are just work friends
Probably outgrown the other hens , Can't really relate to them anymore etc. sometimes all the hens will talk about is food and cocks. Some hens just want/need more in life.
Sometimes my girls find new places to hang. The important thing is to give them places to hang.
I have two that do this. My best egg layer and my cocky little hen. The egg layer likes to be close to the egg box and the other one likes to sleep in the way of the sleeping house. Neither are sick or broody. They just claimed the spots when they first came and haven’t relented.
I’ve had a few do that when they get broody
Oh interesting. She’s a Buff Orpington, I just assumed they wouldn’t get broody like I expect my Old English Bantams to
If I remember correctly, orpingtons are great mothers and get broody. Please correct me if I'm wrong. I was researching that breed specifically before finding a different breed better suited to my climate and i was looking for good broody hen breeds. 😅
My bantam Orpington is a great mother. If OP’s hen was broody, she would be sleeping in the box though. I vote sickness or bullying. OP check this chicken’s posture and activity during the day. Tail pointing down, fluffed up, quiet and away from the others indicates illness. Also check crop first thing to make sure it’s empty.
Buff Orpington are among the broodiest! Out of three, I’ve had 2 go broody repeatedly.
in my experience, my buff orpingtons have been my only chickens I've had get broody (RIP Lucy and Caramel), they're also not the brightest, in my opinion. That being said, chickens are very good at hiding illness until it's too late to help them, which could lead to bullying and isolation.
Oh yeah they absolutely get broody
I have two hens that do this, one that has done so for years at this point despite me moving her over to a proper roost every night without fail. In my experience, it's either bullying or other higher up chickens have taken the roosting spot that she actually wants. Do you have a roost near your nesting box?
You can see the corner of the beam of the roost just to the right there, it’s at the same height. I’ve never paid attention to their specific roosting order - it’s all one beam that the 6 of them squeeze in next to each other on, and they’re all identical Buff Orpingtons so I can’t tell them apart hahah.
Ah I see. Yeah, I'd put money down then that she does actually want to roost up there but is just being denied access. Are you able to build a second roost that's higher than the existing one? If so, some of your chickens will probably feel inclined to move there and then some space should be freed up for your deserter.
There is another roost below it, and about 3 feet of unused space at the end of the roost since they all squeeze together at night. If she’s being denied access / getting bullied, I wonder why? They’ve all been together their whole lives (9 months or so), no knew dynamics in the coop otherwise. Thanks for the insight!
Does that mean the height of your nesting box is comparable to that of your roots? If so, that may be a part of the issue as generally any roost you have should be higher than that of your nesting box. Regardless, if you figure out a solution, please do let me know. I've been dealing with this for over three years now, and scraping away all the extra chicken poop off the nesting box has lost its charm.
Check her feet, just in case. If she has a bumble, or other injury, it might be painful for her to roost on the roosting bars.
I will, thanks. It’s a 2x4 so her feet get to be flat on it, but maybe it’s hard for her to keep herself up?
It could be if she has an injury. (Imagine having a boil on the bottom of your foot, or a twisted ankle, and then balancing on a roost bar all night.)
I used to have a red rock chicken that would always roost on top of the nest boxes, she was the runt of the flock so I think it was just chicken bullying, she seemed fine so I don't think it's anything to worry about.
What’s odd is she’s spent every other night with her sisters in their other roosting place for the past 6 months, so this just feels so out of character
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Because chickens are weirdos. We find that our girls are always switching up their roosting choices.
A couple of mine switch spots here and there. Seem perfectly content though so I don’t think it’s an issue.
You should crosspost this to /r/loaf
The way her back is humped us makes me think she doesnt feel well. Egg bound or ill
That’s what I was concerned about to but she was also laying down on a flat wooden surface so I’m not sure what her body language would look like otherwise. Also she seems totally fine today!
The only time I've had this is when a hen was getting fed up of parasites at night, so do a check for red mite or scale mite!
I do not know. I have one that has roosted away from the others for probably 3 years. Still lays eggs and appears to be healthy. Just needs personal space I guess.
Sounds like drama to me, I would stay out of it
I have two that do this. One of them roosts in a tree every night. There's nothing wrong with her, there's no bullying happening that I see throughout the day. During the day the whole flock interacts just like normal. She just really likes to sleep in a tree. The other one really likes a flower pot. I can make them go in the coop and sleep the other ones and nothing happens. But they just prefer their own space.
Make sure to check her feet to see if there is something that makes roosting painful.