my chicken is sulking

[crisgal]

my chicken used to have free run of the whole garden and I have now put her in a smaller, enclosed area. She has a lovely coop with somewhere to roost and a nesting box. She has access to concrete, grass, soil and evena tree to shelter under.
But she is furious!
Every time i go near her she puffs up and almost spits at me!
She goes in her nesting box and just sits there all day and night (she only used to go in at sunset), and won't come out to feed. If I don't pick her up and put her in front of her dish, she just wouldn't eat.
She's also stopped laying.
I can't have her running around the garden anymore, which is obviously what she wants, but she really does have a nice place now.
I don't know what to do!

[beattie819]

She is probably lonely.Find her a new home on a farm with other chickens where she can roam free and do what chickens do.

[redman41]

Find her a mate or two as she is lonely. More Chickens = more Eggs !

[crisgal]

i did have two but, sadly roxy died about three months ago. Mo seemed to cope ok though and was happy.
She's been like this for about 2-3 weeks now.
I thought she might be worse if I introduce another chicken now.
I do have the option of taking her back to the farm, but I thought that she would get pecked by the others.

[Barmaid]

She just has a monster sulk on. She will start eating again. Try giving her some raisins or something - or meal worms (mine go nuts for meal worms).

Does she look healthy in other respects?

Not that I really know much about them. I've only been a chicken keeper for 2 days!!!!

[RATTER15]

Put her in the pot!!

[crisgal]

ratter!! she's a pet!!

[crisgal]

barmaid, yeah she looks ok. her feathers are clean and soft. her comb might have flopped a bit.
I thought that she HAD to lay an egg a day. I didn't realise that stress would stop it.
My husband says she's just holding 'em in so we can't have 'em! Ouch!

[samak]

Threaten to put her in the pot unless she starts laying eggs.

[RATTER15]

Put her in the pot, a chicken is a chicken is a chicken!!

[Barmaid]

Awwww, she's still a pet. My other half has threatened mine with the pot if they don't lay some eggs soon. So I told him if he can kill them, pluck them and draw them - fine. When I explained how to do it, he backed off!!!!

Get her some chooky treats - she'll come round eventually.

[weecalf]

Maybe she need to see a shrink.Did she have a happy childhood .Other chicks didnt peck on her did they .

[josaphine32]

Are you sure she is not broody, By the way you are explaining what she is doing she sounds like a broody hen to me,

[jackthehat]

I have no help to offer.

But every time this comes up in the Recent Post box, the title makes me smile :o)

[grange]

perhaps she's broody!

[bednobs]

sorry i feel the same way as JtH, it makes me smile when it comes up in recent posts too.

[Chaffinch]

Its the right time of year to become broody. I have four chucks, three are fine but one is broody, sitting in her coop all day, on her's and the others eggs, though I try and remove them asap, but even then she'll just sit in the box. Just leave her alone, she'll come round. I've only ever kept them in small groups though, so maybe another one would help.

[crisgal]

what do you mean by being broody? She wants a baby?
If she is, does that mean she won't lay?

[albaqwerty]

She wants to lay an egg which will hatch into a chick so I guess that's what you call wanting a baby.

Ratter, you're impossible :)

I'd post something else but would probably get suspended or banned. She wants a pal, either male or female, but preferably male and then you'll have an alarm clock which won't need batteries.