11 mo Brahma EE hen (not yet laying) with bloated abdomen… help?!

[Samanternat]

Okay! Yeah, my Brahmas took awhile to start laying. I did have one that had lots of egg issues when she first started laying, so maybe that's kinda what you are going thru.
Keep going on oyster shells for them. Can you give this hen some direct calcium?

Maybe that’s all it is… I can certainly look into getting that for her as well! I just really hope she isn’t ill.
Thanks.

 

[CCsGarden]

Maybe that’s all it is… I can certainly look into getting that for her as well! I just really hope she isn’t ill.
Thanks.

Same! Keep us posted!
Today I got this egg from one if the hens!

 

[Samanternat]

Same! Keep us posted!
Today I got this egg from one if the hens!View attachment 4098898

So cute!! A first egg?

There was a lot of clucking early in the coop this morning which isn’t the norm (like the egg song they sometimes do just usually not that time of morning)… I didn’t find out which hen it was. When I went out my girl was in the nesting box… we found an egg an hour later but she’s still there and it looks like the other eggs we always get. Not sure now if she actually laid (or someone else did) or is trying to. We’ve never gotten 3 eggs on the same day though and the other 2 hens are laying.

 

[CCsGarden]

So cute!! A first egg?

No, for some reason I have a hen that lays those eggs

There was a lot of clucking early in the coop this morning which isn’t the norm (like the egg song they sometimes do just usually not that time of morning)… I didn’t find out which hen it was. When I went out my girl was in the nesting box… we found an egg an hour later but she’s still there and it looks like the other eggs we always get. Not sure now if she actually laid (or someone else did) or is trying to. We’ve never gotten 3 eggs on the same day though and the other 2 hens are laying.

Wow yay!! It sounds like she is laying!

 

[Samanternat]

No, for some reason I have a hen that lays those eggs

Wow yay!! It sounds like she is laying!

Awww

Yeah I’m still not sure she has. She was still in coop when I got home. How long (days?) might a chicken normally try out nesting boxes before actually laying, if you know?

 

[CCsGarden]

Awww

Yeah I’m still not sure she has. She was still in coop when I got home. How long (days?) might a chicken normally try out nesting boxes before actually laying, if you know?

For what I've exprinced, they checked them out for about week - maybe 3-5 days......I can't remember for sure! I'm very glad though that she is at least checking them out

 

[Samanternat]

Here are some pics of her inside with me again for a bit. Not sure if they help. Clearly her abdomen is not bulging, bald, or making her walk/stand weird. I’m still not sure if her abdomen is even bloated or not but it seems more full in my hand than her smaller sisters.

Meanwhile the two once “lower” hens are literally going out of their way to harass her! They are 10 months old. The more I observe these past few days, she stays in the coop… they make sure she stays in there, and even when that’s not enough they go in to pick on her?! The rooster is still her friend (they were hatch mates) but doesn’t exactly break up the bullying. This is limiting her food and water access, but there is 100% no lack of appetite when she is here with me alone with a chance to eat and drink freely.

She still hasn’t laid… so. I don’t know. Not sure what prompted the complete overhaul of pecking order and peace here. I am hoping that the others aren’t sensing an illness that isn’t obvious to me. Either way the new bullying is a big issue now too.

 

[CCsGarden]

She looks "okay" to me and she is super beautiful for sure! Maybe something is hitting her and they sense it first.....or maybe because she was in the nest box or being in the coop be herself is making the others want to come see what's going on. How old is the rooster? If they are only 10 months old, this is the age were they start to do a lot more "pecking order stuff" and mating. Maybe your rooster likes her better then others? or is he pecking her on the head/neck all the time?

 

[Samanternat]

She looks "okay" to me and she is super beautiful for sure! Maybe something is hitting her and they sense it first.....or maybe because she was in the nest box or being in the coop be herself is making the others want to come see what's going on. How old is the rooster? If they are only 10 months old, this is the age were they start to do a lot more "pecking order stuff" and mating. Maybe your rooster likes her better then others? or is he pecking her on the head/neck all the time?

Thank you she’s my fluffy girl.
I know… it’s hard to say anymore if it’s her behaviour in checking out the nest box that caused the bullying, or bullying that caused her to hang out in there in the first place. Something shifted in the past few days and I’m worried about her health/safety. They (2 other girls, one a clear leader) were going in there to peck her today when she’s already out of their sight (I’ve seen it on the coop cam), it’s so weird of them.

Rooster is 11 months old, hatched with her. The other two are exactly a month younger (10 months), hatched together. The rooster and this girl have been inseparable always and he has not turned on her now in the midst of this, however, he’s been fine to be without her in the run when she’s staying in coop.
I’ve NEVER seen him mount her (assumed bc she hasn’t laid yet and is a slow-maturing breed, and he can somehow tell). As far as chicken feelings go, he is much more bonded with this girl, but she’s not like his “favorite” hen for those purposes. He does mate with the other two and tolerates them the same as always, but is not close with them. It has been this way since the dust settled after we first introduced the two pairs 8 or 9 months ago, which is when he and this girl established their place at the top of the order (until now).