chickens not eating

[earnhardt_jr1]

I have barded rock and isia brown hens. i got them about 2 1/2 years ago and now they just stopped eating. they just stand on the nest wont move when i walk out there to feed them. what can i do to get them to eat.

 

[coach723]

Both started this at the same time? How long have they been this way. Do they fluff up, squawk or growl at you when you try to move them? Do you know when they last laid?
Droppings normal? Feel crops to see if they are empty, full, soft & squishy, hard, etc. Any wheezing, sneezing, coughing or discharge from eyes, nares or beak?
Quick thoughts, maybe broody, meaning they want to sit and hatch eggs. When that happens they will often refuse to leave the nest except for a couple of times a day to poop, eat and drink, and not for long. If this is the case, you can break them of broodiness. If they are sick, then knowing the answers to the other questions, may help to narrow it down.

 

[NatJ]

they just stand on the nest wont move when i walk out there to feed them. what can i do to get them to eat.

You can pick them up, sit them by the food, and watch what happens.

I agree with coach723 that they might be broody.

If they are broody, and you sit them by the food, they will probably sit there for a little bit, and then start eating. After they eat, they might also drink and poop and walk around a little, but they will go back to the nest pretty soon.

A broody hen wants to sit on the nest all day and all night and hatch eggs. She doesn't know whether the eggs are fertile or not, and she doesn't even care if she sits on eggs laid by herself, or eggs laid by some other hen. or eggs laid by some other kind of bird, or just egg-shaped things (even rocks or golf balls)!

 

[roseoreilly]

I have barded rock and isia brown hens. i got them about 2 1/2 years ago and now they just stopped eating. they just stand on the nest wont move when i walk out there to feed them. what can i do to get them to eat.

Have they improved?