Hen-broody or poorly?

[Heather Adams]

Hello,
I have a hen that has started laying and spends a lot of time in the nest box, fluffed up. She has stopped laying and she isn’t sitting on any eggs. Whenever I try and coax her down her legs are wobbly for a while until she finds her footing. Is she just broody or should I be worried there’s something else?
Thanks in advance!

 

[AidKD]

She could either be broody or egg bound. Feel around in between her legs and in her vent for an egg. How does her poop look? Is she pooping reguarly? I've never had a problem with hens being weak while broody. If she is broody, then she'll get up about once a day to poop, eat, etc. And her poop will be big and very smelly.

 

[aart]

Hello,
I have a hen that has started laying and spends a lot of time in the nest box, fluffed up. She has stopped laying and she isn’t sitting on any eggs. Whenever I try and coax her down her legs are wobbly for a while until she finds her footing. Is she just broody or should I be worried there’s something else?
Thanks in advance!

Hard to say what the problem is.

A broody could be a bit wobbly on being removed from the nest and don't need eggs to be broody.
My go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

She could be ill tho.
Best to check her all over, as mentioned above, for signs of any issues.

​

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Hello,
I have a hen that has started laying and spends a lot of time in the nest box, fluffed up. She has stopped laying and she isn’t sitting on any eggs. Whenever I try and coax her down her legs are wobbly for a while until she finds her footing. Is she just broody or should I be worried there’s something else?
Thanks in advance!

Can you get a video of her actions? Upload video to YouTube and provide a link.

Photos of her poop?

Are you wanting her to brood/sit on fertile eggs or not? If not, then break her broodiness.
The wobbliness is a bit of a concern. Place her in a crate inside the coop/run so she's with the flock. See that she's eating/drinking and check her for lice/mites and that her crop is emptying overnight.

 

[Heather Adams]

Thank you all for your helpful replies! I will try and get a video today. Otherwise she is acting fine once you remove her and she is on her feet. I’m not wanting her to sit on eggs as currently incubating so will try to break the cycle! Thanks so much again!