Hen is not laying but goes in nesting box as if to lay, abnormal droppings(?)

Anasenes

Chirping
May 28, 2018
42
35
59
Northern Illinois
I have an almost 2 year old Cinnamon Queen hen and an Easter Egger hen of the same age. The Easter Egger is still laying good eggs almost daily, but the Cinnamon Queen has stopped. I noticed it about a month and a half ago because I lost most of my flock in a possum attack. At first the CQ was leaving green dropping behind around the run and where they roost, and recently those have turned into big wood shaving filled droppings. Over the last 2 weeks I've noticed that she will sit in the box but not lay anything, and she would only be in there for about half an hour. She seems her usual energy, walking up to me and trying to eat my fingers and then walking away when I try to pet her. Her and the other two chickens get along well.

The run is about 8'x12' and has a 4'x4' coop that they all sleep on top of. I have my flock on an agrimaster layer pellet feed, a bucket of oats, and one of those block treats (I'm unsure of the specifics). They do not get free ranged at all since the attack so there is no greens in their diets.

She might be broody, but she's only sitting in the box for at most half an hour a day so thats why I'm posting here. If theres any other information y'all need just let me know and I'll do my best to supply it.
 
She's not broody but may be thinking about it. I have a couple of non laying hens that act like they want to lay and sit in the nest box a while, and then come back out. Never an egg, they just like taking credit for the eggs that other hens lay!
 
She's not broody but may be thinking about it. I have a couple of non laying hens that act like they want to lay and sit in the nest box a while, and then come back out. Never an egg, they just like taking credit for the eggs that other hens lay!
Alright. Is there any expected amount of time she will be doing this? I only got one other hen so eggs have been very limited
 
Hard to say. It could be hormonal, could be stress reaction from the predator attack, or some other ailment that's currently unknown (though she sounds healthy other than the poops perhaps). She might snap out of it on her own after some time, or she might be effectively done as a layer. Both my birds that exhibit this behavior have done so for a long time and neither lays with any reliability (one is special needs so does not lay, the other is 4 yrs old and has not laid in about 9 months).
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom