Kuritsa y Utochka
Songster
- Mar 1, 2023
- 87
- 194
- 116
Hi all,
This is a long post, but I need help. I would appreciate if you took the time to read.
About three months ago, one of my smaller hens, Penelope (a Dominique), was attacked by a fox. My mother happened to look out the window at that moment, so she was able to run outside, grab Penelope from the fox, and take her to the vet. She had a lot of missing feathers and a bent leg, but the vet gave her some things (not exactly sure what, as I wasn't there), and she felt better within a couple weeks. She now is perfectly fine, just walks with a little bit of a limp.
A few days ago, I noticed that when I free ranged Penelope with the other seven hens (no roosters in our flock), she'd sometimes wander several yards away from them. I didn't think much of it, considering that the other chickens do this occasionally and it hasn't ever been a cause for concern. However, I did become concerned one or two days ago, when Penelope began making very strange noises when she wanted to lay. Our enclosure is separated from the coop, which is in the garage for predator purposes. When the hens want to lay during free range time, they'll usually run over to the coop while rapidly saying "tuk-tuk-tuk." They'll then lay their unfertilized egg, sometimes sit on it for 10 or 15 minutes, and then get up and start screaming so that we come out of the house and let them back into the enclosure. However, Penelope, instead of making her usual "tuk-tuk-tuk" noises, was making more of a stressed "bawk-bawk-bawk" noise. She then laid and was very unwilling to get up from the eggs, even after several hours. She didn't peck me (all of the chickens are very docile and peck extremely rarely), but she insisted on staying until I picked her up and carried her myself. My mother said that yesterday, Penelope was randomly attacking the other hens and starting fights among the flock. Even though she is by far the smallest, she is the most aggressive, and will occasionally peck other hens for no reason. But my mother's description was severe.
This morning, when I came to the coop to let them out, I found her in a nesting box guarding three unfertilized eggs from the day before, rather than sitting in her regular spot in the adjacent straw pen. She didn't really want to leave, but I took her to the enclosure anyway and removed the eggs from the coop.
Fast forward a while, to around three hours ago. I take the girls out, and Penelope starts doing her strange noises again (as she has been very often lately). Another chicken, Ellen, runs to the coop to lay, so I leave her there while the other seven free range. They go to the dust bath, and Penelope starts trying to make a nest in the dust bath while continuing to make her noises. When I take them back to the enclosure, Penelope runs off to the coop as fast as she can with her limp. I take Ellen and her egg out so that the coop is empty, and watch as Penelope goes to a nesting box, sits down, and guards absolutely nothing. She's still doing it two and a half hours later and doesn't want to leave. (I've tried twice, she's even more defensive than before. With no egg.)
What's going on with her? We have no roosters, and have never had any in my almost year and a half of having her. She's never acted this way before. What should I do?
Side question: If we bought day-old female chicks from an outside source, would the hens take care of them or kill them? We cannot have roosters in our area as it is urban.
This is a long post, but I need help. I would appreciate if you took the time to read.
About three months ago, one of my smaller hens, Penelope (a Dominique), was attacked by a fox. My mother happened to look out the window at that moment, so she was able to run outside, grab Penelope from the fox, and take her to the vet. She had a lot of missing feathers and a bent leg, but the vet gave her some things (not exactly sure what, as I wasn't there), and she felt better within a couple weeks. She now is perfectly fine, just walks with a little bit of a limp.
A few days ago, I noticed that when I free ranged Penelope with the other seven hens (no roosters in our flock), she'd sometimes wander several yards away from them. I didn't think much of it, considering that the other chickens do this occasionally and it hasn't ever been a cause for concern. However, I did become concerned one or two days ago, when Penelope began making very strange noises when she wanted to lay. Our enclosure is separated from the coop, which is in the garage for predator purposes. When the hens want to lay during free range time, they'll usually run over to the coop while rapidly saying "tuk-tuk-tuk." They'll then lay their unfertilized egg, sometimes sit on it for 10 or 15 minutes, and then get up and start screaming so that we come out of the house and let them back into the enclosure. However, Penelope, instead of making her usual "tuk-tuk-tuk" noises, was making more of a stressed "bawk-bawk-bawk" noise. She then laid and was very unwilling to get up from the eggs, even after several hours. She didn't peck me (all of the chickens are very docile and peck extremely rarely), but she insisted on staying until I picked her up and carried her myself. My mother said that yesterday, Penelope was randomly attacking the other hens and starting fights among the flock. Even though she is by far the smallest, she is the most aggressive, and will occasionally peck other hens for no reason. But my mother's description was severe.
This morning, when I came to the coop to let them out, I found her in a nesting box guarding three unfertilized eggs from the day before, rather than sitting in her regular spot in the adjacent straw pen. She didn't really want to leave, but I took her to the enclosure anyway and removed the eggs from the coop.
Fast forward a while, to around three hours ago. I take the girls out, and Penelope starts doing her strange noises again (as she has been very often lately). Another chicken, Ellen, runs to the coop to lay, so I leave her there while the other seven free range. They go to the dust bath, and Penelope starts trying to make a nest in the dust bath while continuing to make her noises. When I take them back to the enclosure, Penelope runs off to the coop as fast as she can with her limp. I take Ellen and her egg out so that the coop is empty, and watch as Penelope goes to a nesting box, sits down, and guards absolutely nothing. She's still doing it two and a half hours later and doesn't want to leave. (I've tried twice, she's even more defensive than before. With no egg.)
What's going on with her? We have no roosters, and have never had any in my almost year and a half of having her. She's never acted this way before. What should I do?
Side question: If we bought day-old female chicks from an outside source, would the hens take care of them or kill them? We cannot have roosters in our area as it is urban.
