Hen has been broody, now acting VERY strange...please help!

[Cindychlvr]

I have a one-year-old Speckled Sussex. She went broody about 3 weeks ago. A few days ago, I noticed she is still sitting but when I open the nest box, her head is tilted all the way back as if to look straight up to the sky and she is moving erratically. I tried to move her off the nest box tonight. She fell out of the nest box, landed on the hen house floor and just stayed there in that weird head-toward-the-sky position. I placed her back in the nest box and left her. I'm afraid she'll be dead by morning. Any ideas???? She also seems as though she's lost weight.

 

[Happy Chooks]

I don't know, but I moved it here for you so you'll get a response.

 

[AngelzFyre]

She sounds dehydrated most of all. If she's not gotten out of the nest box in that long and didn't drink or eat much, she probably needs electrolytes and either poly vi sol vitamins without iron or poultry drench to give her some nutrient help. Try seeing if you can get a syringe and dribble along her beak to see if she'll take it in that way. Scrambled eggs and even a mash of crumbles with yogurt wouldn't hurt either.
Some of those hens are very stubborn about leaving the box and if it's as hot there as it's been here, wouldn't take long for heat to get to her.

For future times:
I usually keep both a separate waterer and small baby pig feeder right by the nest boxes and try to put some treats or scratch close by too if I notice they are not coming off the nests often. I refill water daily and keep enough food for a couple days so that it doesn't get stale and they eat it all. It's worked very well for me.

 

[BrattishTaz]

It sounds like wry neck. I agree with the previous poster. Give polyvisol without iron asap and electrolytes (I use Gatoraid). You can search older threads for additional treatment information.