Constipation? Am I crazy? (yes, I am but for other reasons...)

[acbowers]

So I've had a RIR (about 7 months; laying for a while quite regularly) who has been in the nest box for 3 days...I've been checking on her to see if she's broody, sick, egg bound, etc. When I went up to her (a few times each day for the past 3), she puffed up and "growled" at me. She let me check under her for eggs, although she growled and puffed up the whole time (as opposed to Bessie my other RIR that growls, puffs up and BITES me). A few times, I felt near her vent and could clearly feel an egg. Her comb and wattles have been normally colored so I didn't think she was sick but today, I went in and decided that I would actually glove up and check to see if the egg was caught or something. Anyways, I held her today and started to feel around her vent on the outside for the egg but it wasn't there. So I was relieved that she wasn't egg bound, but as I was putting her down she crapped on me and then took a huge watery poo on the floor.... So was she like constipated or something? Can chickens even get constipated? Did I "stir" something up?

 

[Kelsie2290]

My vote would go to broody. Broodys usually only leave the nest about once a day, and shall we say, tend to leave some impressive poop piles. Picture on the website of some. http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2013/08/caring-for-broody-hens-facilitating-egg.html

 

[acbowers]

That would mean I have 2 semi-broody RIRs? Is that even possible? Lol! Both of them will sit on eggs (or nothing) for like 2-4 days at a time, then stop. Chickens are so weird!

 

[acbowers]

After checking out that link, you are totally right! How funny....here I am stressing about a broody hen...maybe I should let her know that since we've got no rooster she's sitting for no good reason...

 

[Kelsie2290]

Interesting they are RIR, I've had some hatchery RIRs try to go broody do the same thing, stop, start, not stick, at least they didn't always stop laying eggs.... it is like the instinct wasn't totally bred out of them, but enough that they were not good enough at it you'd trust them with eggs, and they were really easy to break of it. Not sure telling them there is no rooster around will help, I currently have a marans sitting on wooden eggs, at least yours are trying on real eggs.