Egg bound

[CackedNut]

Hmm,even my girl on the low end of pecking order(normally the sweetest girl) when broody is a grumpy,growling,screaming girl. All my hens when broody act this way.

What is really awesome is when i have 4 broody hens at the same time and a cat in heat. Yup,that is what i have right now,so much fun!! Nothing like screaming/hissing/growling/grumpy females to make my day awesome,then add to mix 2 teenage daughters. Now they are all growling/grumpy and screaming at each other. My daughters yell at each other if one of them goes uninvited into their room and "borrows" clothes,reminds me of my hens screaming at each other if one enters nest box uninvited. Fun times!! at least the cat will be fixed.

Thank you for my laugh of the day.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

yes that's why im on the fence about it. but I have read a little more about being broody and I read they peck their feathers out. my girl is really pecking at her feathers. her poop is pretty big I read that's a sign too. its never the same its either big and runny with yellow and green, semi runny with green today it was a BIG dark green blob. I sure hope that's what it is. so worried. they told me to give her a day or a few days and reassess her. this has been going on since Saturday probably.

I have had many broody hens over the years. They have big poops when they are off the nest, but they are not green and they don't tend to be runny. My broody hens have always accepted food when they are off the nest (Usually mine even take treats even when in the nest box).

The green poop usually means that chicken is not eating much or that the food is not digesting.

Maybe we need to review all symptoms of your 9 month old hen so we get a better idea what is going on. She is:

- not eating much, but drinking okay (DOES SHE HAVE AN APPETITE FOR HER FAVORITE TREATS?)
- having green poops and some of them are runny
-not laying eggs since at least Saturday
-picking at her feathers more than usual

What else did you notice after Saturday that lead you to worry about her health and bring her inside?

You might have mentioned more over the course of this thread, but it is good to have it listed all together. What have you notice about her energy level, the way she is walking, the way her belly and crop feel... and what did I miss?

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

I have had many broody hens over the years. They have big poops when they are off the nest, but they are not green and they don't tend to be runny. My broody hens have always accepted food when they are off the nest (Usually mine even take treats even when in the nest box).

The green poop usually means that chicken is not eating much or that the food is not digesting.

Maybe we need to review all symptoms of your 9 month old hen so we get a better idea what is going on. She is:

- not eating much, but drinking okay (DOES SHE HAVE AN APPETITE FOR HER FAVORITE TREATS?)
- having green poops and some of them are runny
-not laying eggs since at least Saturday
-picking at her feathers more than usual

What else did you notice after Saturday that lead you to worry about her health and bring her inside?

You might have mentioned more over the course of this thread, but it is good to have it listed all together. What have you notice about her energy level, the way she is walking, the way her belly and crop feel... and what did I miss?

she isn't greatly active, she gets out and about but is slow go some. if the rooster starts to get at her she will run but of course I make him go on cause I know something is up with her. She put her head down a few minutes ag maybe to peck the ground ad clar liquid ran out of her mouth but i have noticed her do that before. I don't know if its cause she is mostly drinking. she is a little droopy and not scratching I have noticed. she will get with the others and sometimes she just stands there. she isn't very very active but her usual personality she s very active. her and her little twin always usually hang together and when they her me here thy cme running side by side bumping into each other. I ave ad hens be under the weather for a few days and bounce right back. I am hopin that's what this is but I want her to eat. she does eat but not much. she will eat some of her treats and has taken food while sitting on he nest.

 

[scratch'n'peck]

she isn't greatly active, she gets out and about but is slow go some. if the rooster starts to get at her she will run but of course I make him go on cause I know something is up with her. She put her head down a few minutes ag maybe to peck the ground ad clar liquid ran out of her mouth but i have noticed her do that before. I don't know if its cause she is mostly drinking. she is a little droopy and not scratching I have noticed. she will get with the others and sometimes she just stands there. she isn't very very active but her usual personality she s very active. her and her little twin always usually hang together and when they her me here thy cme running side by side bumping into each other. I ave ad hens be under the weather for a few days and bounce right back. I am hopin that's what this is but I want her to eat. she does eat but not much. she will eat some of her treats and has taken food while sitting on he nest.

I feel for you and your hen. I know what it is like to have a hen acting under the weather, and how difficult it is to figure out what is wrong with her. It doesn't sound like she is broody or necessarily egg bound.

Does her crop feel either mushy like a water balloon or harder than the other hens' crops?

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

no, her crop feels normal well its not full its not hard and its not squishy. I know its very hard when you cant figure out what it is.

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Does she have lice?

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

Does she have lice?

I don't think so. what does it look like?

 

[heartsizedfarm]

Look around her vent, her abdomen, under her wings, and where she's picking her feathers. See if you can spot little whitish creepy crawly things. Sometimes they make a crusty white egg sac at the base of a feather, and you should be able to see that too. Lice can make them feel very miserable.

 

[the3ofus+oursixchicks]

this is what her bottom looks like. mind you she has had mineral oil on it plus she has been dirt bathing which helped my feelings. she hasn't shaken the dirt off yet. But oyu can see how her bottom is bare in spots. she is usually full and fluffy back there. I will check for lice.

 

[seminolewind]

This is Penny

With that belly and the way she looks sick, I would think peritonitis or internal laying