[Catk]

My Sussex hen, is otherwise healthy: eating well, exploring garden, hanging out with it's companion (a black/grey speckled hen) and laying an egg five times out of seven, and yet for three days on the run, I've gone out to shut the perch hatch and lock the run door, to find the sussex lying hunkered down on the ground.  I've had four hens in the last four months: I initially got the sussex and it's long-term companion: a brown hen.  The brown hen died after about 8 weeks: it had a dirty bottom and couldn't get up to it's perch.  I took it to the vet but it died a few days later.  I then acquired two 'rescue' hens from a hen sanctuary: a black one and this speckled one.  After about two weeks, the black one wouldn't come out of the perching area and wasn't perky (I had to shoo it out).  It couldn't get up into the perching house and went down hill fast, so I took it back to where I got it from.  That left me with the sussex and the speckled one.  They are both healthy, eat well, strutt around and scratch etc.  The speckled one hasn't laid any eggs yet.  Yet again, tonight, the sussex was down on the ground and yet it's been fine all day, eating, walking around etc.  It's the dominant one and gets the food first (pellets, bit of grain).  It's comb is nice and red so why can't it get up into it's house?  It's bottom is clean.  I'm worried it's going to go like the other two.  The hens have the bottom of my garden which is half woodbark and half lawn, so they've got a big space to forage in.  I give them grit regularly too!  Any help would be most appreciated.  P.S, I usually lock the hens away as soon as it gets dark.  Sometimes I might be late locking the door, (if I've had to go out) but I haven't worried because they both fly up when it's dusk.  I've been late locking up the last few days, as my dad's been unwell and I've got home late only to find the sussex still in the pen area, nestled down into the ground. 

[bantam novice]

Hello CatK and welcome to the forum 

I am not that experienced but there are a few things that you might want to consider.

Have you wormed the hens recently?
Have you checked for lice and redmite?  If she is reluctant to go into her roost there may be redmite attacking her.
Is their pooh OK?
Does your hen have a temperature?  You check this by feeling under the wing of your other (speckeld) hen and then under your Sussex to see if she feels warmer.

I am sure that someone more experienced will be along to give you more advice
In the meantime good luck and keep us posted.

[DD.]

Catk - just a tip if you don't mind.

Try and break up your text a little bit, you are more likely to get more responses. I know that a lot of members when faced with a solid block of text like yours, just skip over it as it's difficult to take all on board.

[Catk]

Hi Bantam Novice.  Thanks for your advice. 

HI DD, I'll keep it shorter in future.  I'm used to typing (I touch type, so it's effortless) longish posts on other forums , and hence didn't realise my post was long.    :blink:


Anyhow, good news.  I kept an eye on her today: she was chasing a blackbird by flying at it and seeing off the magpies, ate loads and lo and behold, when I checked just after dark, she was nestled on her perch with her companion.    

[DD.]

HI DD, I'll keep it shorter in future.  I'm used to typing (I touch type, so it's effortless) longish posts on other forums , and hence didn't realise my post was long.    :blink:

Long posts are no problem, but if you break it up a bit it's much easier to take in!