People are perplexed when they first encounter one of their hens who insists on doing nothing but gluing herself to a nest. What is wrong? What should I do?
First, you need to determine if you're dealing with a broody hen or a sick hen.
A broody hen has more symptoms than simply attaching herself to a nest and refusing to budge. She will have bald strips along her keel bone where feathers are missing and skin is exposed. A lot of heat will be emitted from this area.
Another symptom is the low, popping, broody cluck. It's unlike any of the other noises a hen makes. She does this when she's thinking intently on getting back onto the nest after being off for awhile.
When she's sitting on the nest, she will appear much more broad and flat than a hen in a nest to simply lay an egg. Typically, she will puff herself up and emit a loud screech when touched. It can be a frightening display, neck feathers will flare and she may even administer a resounding bite to your hand if you're slow to remove it.
There are two ways to address this condition. It's a hormonal thing and she is programmed by her hormones to sit in a nest for the next 3 or 4 weeks, come heck or high water. If you have access to fertile eggs, you can place a few under her and let her hatch them out. It takes 21 days for chicks to come forth.
Or you can break her by interrupting the hormonal cycle. You can do this by depriving her of a nest to sit on, any solid ground under her where heat stays trapped under her body, and trying to cool her down. It helps to place her in a cage without a solid floor so air can circulate and in a bright, busy place where she's surrounded by the presence of the rest of the flock doing their thing and where she's prevented from returning to the nest. A fan helps, as well as anything to cool her body temp down.
A sick hen will also have a lot more symptoms than simply sticking herself in a nest. Most often, a sick hen or egg-bound hen will mope around with her tail held down, often facing a wall or placing her head in a corner. If she's egg-bound, she will be in the nest for prolonged periods, get out, then try again for another prolonged period. When she's out, she may mope around as described. A warm soak may help. You'll know pretty quickly if it works since an egg will come out. I had a hen lay the bound egg after a fifteen minute soak, followed closely by a shelless egg of similar size.
So, figure out which you have, a broody or a sick hen, by adding up the different symptoms. Then you'll know what you're dealing with.
