Black astralorp hen acting strange

[kgor123]

She will not come out of the nesting box unless pushed out and when she comes out she seems to be scratching and itching all over a lot more then normal. She ruffles her feathers when anyone gets near her and squawks at us. Her feathers ruffle all the way up her back and neck. She has been sitting in the nesting box for three days now. She doesn't appear to have any wounds or anything oozing out of her eyes or nose. We have 12 hens and she is the only one acting this way. It started about three days ago and has never done this before. She is a little over a year old

 

[LynsBrat]

sounds like she went broody!

 

[LynsBrat]

I have a buff that acts that way when my younger boys come around only because they have terrorized her before...sometimes I get a black Australorp that sits for a few hours on her eggs and I just go in and steal the egg out from under her then give the whole flock a treat...as soon as she realizes its treat time she runs out of the coop to get a treat..my buff also gets a little broody but gives me a piece of her mind when I steal her eggs, but again, treats seem to change the focus instantly! good luck

 

[dawg53]

It sounds like she's broody for sure. Since she seems to be itching and scratching all over; I recommend that you visually inspect her for lice/mites. Check her vent area closely for them.