broody?? hen

[Pied Piper]

I have a two and a half year old golden comet that has started exhibiting odd behavior. Initially I thought she was becoming broody, but she stays on the nest even if there's no bedding and no eggs. If I get near or one of the other hens does, she puffs up and growls. Taking her off the nest she gets chased by the other comet a bit but she mostly just puffs up huge and growls at anyone getting close.
Her feathers are in poor shape. Lots of broken shafts and missing plumage. She chews her feathers and shakes herself a lot. She's very thin but eats if I block everyone else. I have checked for lice or mites, but only saw one. Nobody is laying since this behavior has started (four days ago). We have a mixed flock of eight.
Any thoughts on what else I might look for?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

When a hen goes broody, she doesn't really care if there are eggs or nesting material. Her behavior is hormone-driven. If you take her off the nest and set her on the ground, does she stay fluffed up and walk around clucking rapidly like a clicking time bomb about to go off? (Thanks to @aart for this description). Does she do her best to get back on the nest as quickly as she can? When you reach for her does she screech at you in an upward-rising scream that makes you think she is going to take your hand off? Does she stay on the nest night and day for at least three nights? Then she's probably broody.

You can give her marked eggs and expect chicks in 21 days, removing all other eggs daily. Or you can "break" her of her broodiness. @aart has a good explanation of how to do that, I'll let her explain that. Take it away, aart. (I have no idea why your other hens aren't laying.)

 

[aart]

I have checked for lice or mites, but only saw one.

Seeing one might be enough to treat, they are hard to see.
My Bug Check notes:

Have you checked them over real well for mites and/or lice?

Google images of lice/mites and their eggs before the inspection so you'll know what you're looking for.

Part the feathers right down to the skin around vent, head/neck and under wings.

Best done well after dark with a strong flashlight/headlight, easier to 'catch' bird and also to check for the mites that live in structure and only come out at night to feed off roosting birds.

Look fast, they will scatter quickly once the feathers are parted and the light hits them.

Wipe a white paper towel along the underside of roost to look for red smears(smashed well fed mites).

Good post about mite ID by Lady McCamley:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/my-chicken-has-mites-now-what.1273674/page-2#post-20483008

@aart has a good explanation of how to do that,

You could just link the article
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thanks, @aart, I've copied the link now.

 

[SourRoses]

Thanks, @aart, I've copied the link now.

How would you manage to keep them all ready-to-hand? I know I for one am not technically proficient enough to do that. It's easier to write stuff out

 

[BigBlueHen53]

How would you manage to keep them all ready-to-hand? I know I for one am not technically proficient enough to do that. It's easier to write stuff out

I just copy the link and then paste it into another app that I can easily get to on my phone. It's called Notes and came as a default on my android. I have quite a collection now so I don't have to keep tagging the Educators here. I'll never be as smart as they are though!

 

[SourRoses]

I can easily get to on my phone

Okay, I definitely don't understand how any such thing could be easy. I don't even keep a phone, they are so fiddly and naggy. From time to time my Mom asks me to help her with hers, but my ability ends at turning it off and back on again.

Anyway, you are plenty smart! Those with knowledge to share simply learned it somewhere else. We all pick up new info all the time, and you have the helpful spirit to want to share with those in need.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Okay, I definitely don't understand how any such thing could be easy. I don't even keep a phone, they are so fiddly and naggy. From time to time my Mom asks me to help her with hers, but my ability ends at turning it off and back on again.

Anyway, you are plenty smart! Those with knowledge to share simply learned it somewhere else. We all pick up new info all the time, and you have the helpful spirit to want to share with those in need.

You're very kind.

 

[Pied Piper]

When a hen goes broody, she doesn't really care if there are eggs or nesting material. Her behavior is hormone-driven. If you take her off the nest and set her on the ground, does she stay fluffed up and walk around clucking rapidly like a clicking time bomb about to go off? (Thanks to @aart for this description). Does she do her best to get back on the nest as quickly as she can? When you reach for her does she screech at you in an upward-rising scream that makes you think she is going to take your hand off? Does she stay on the nest night and day for at least three nights? Then she's probably broody.

You can give her marked eggs and expect chicks in 21 days, removing all other eggs daily. Or you can "break" her of her broodiness. @aart has a good explanation of how to do that, I'll let her explain that. Take it away, aart. (I have no idea why your other hens aren't laying.)

You have described her behavior exactly. She stays fluffed up even out in the yard and is nasty to the other hens. Yes she makes those noises. I went out last night and everyone was roosting on a perch but she was on the nest.
Will her broodiness prevent others from coming in to lay?
Any thoughts on the condition of her feathers?

 

[orelsi]

Will you be putting eggs under her? It's smart to separate a brooding hen, because the others might break some of the eggs when they go to check on her out of curiosity. The other hens will go and lay next to her, if she's in their favourite spot, so separating her makes bith her and the other girls more comfortable.

If you are not going to hatch eggs, you can break her brooding in several ways. My prefered one is to splash her with some cold water, a bit on the head and back, a couple of times. That usually does it. More stubborn hens might require it done several times. Just nake sure you are doing during hot weather, you don't want to chill her.

My favourite hen gets broody every year and she becomes all ruffled up, stray feathers, broken shafts, etc. Her molting cycle coincides with the hatching of the chicks. By the time the chicks are 6 weeks she has finished molting. It might be the same case with your hen.