My buff orpington has been acting broody for close to 2 weeks. I would try to get her out of the nest and walk around and she would always just puff her feathers up, walk around a little and go back in. She didn't look right the way that she was puffed up and the other girls would peck at her. I finally noticed that she had mites on Thursday and ran inside to check BYC for a cure.
I removed all of the shavings from the coop and treated it and her with Sevin dust. When, I got home from work the following day, she was running around the backyard with the other girls and back to her old self. I am now realizing that I could have lost her from mites, because they were making her so weak and it was not being treated.
The moral of the story: If you have a broody hen, keep a close watch for mites and other pests.
I removed all of the shavings from the coop and treated it and her with Sevin dust. When, I got home from work the following day, she was running around the backyard with the other girls and back to her old self. I am now realizing that I could have lost her from mites, because they were making her so weak and it was not being treated.
The moral of the story: If you have a broody hen, keep a close watch for mites and other pests.