[wiggy]

I have a hen that won't come out of the coop  (only when i lift her out to feed). She has been there for about 1 week, she eats and drinks normally but she has no feathers on her breast. i have just given my other hens some corn while i lifted her out for some food and she darted over to me for her share of the corn and she looked OK. I sat and watched for a while and they all mingled together without any problems but i noticed she kept rubbing her neck on the ground from side to side. I had a cockerel but had to get rid of it a few weeks ago could this be why she is like this, any comments would be appreciated.

[bantam novice]

Sounds to me like she may be broody.  Does she make a funny growly sound when you try to move her?  Broody hens pluck out their chest feathers so that they can use the heat and moisture from their skins to incubate the eggs.

If she is broody you are going to have to decide whether to let her sit on fertile eggs or not.  If you want her to hatch out fertile eggs you are going to have to decide what to do with the cockerels.  She will need separate secure broody quarters not in the nest boxes of your main coop.

If she is broody on the nest boxes she will put the other hens off laying.  You may need to take anti-broody measures.  One method suggested is to sit her in a dog crate up on bricks with access to sun, shade, shelter, food and water.  keep her in there for a day or two and  then let her rejoin the flock.

Good luck whatever you decide and keep us posted.