Hen not laid egg in over a week will not come out of coop

[cforeman]

1) What type of bird , age and weight. She is a Buff Orpington Hen, she is 8 months old and weighs about 4.5 pounds
2) What is the behavior, exactly. She has been laying in the coop and not coming out for a week. She has not laid an egg in a week. She will eat if I take her out of the coop and bring her inside and give her crumbles, oatmeal, grapes and now oyster shells. She is fluffed up sometimes.
3) How long has the bird been exhibiting symptoms? one week.
4) Is there any bleeding, injury, broken bones or other sign of trauma. no
5) What happened, if anything that you know of, that may have caused the situation. I haven't been giving her calcium until yesterday except for an occasional egg shell. But the other 3 hens are laying.
6) What has the bird been eating and drinking, if at all. crumbles, oatmeal, grapes and now oyster shells
7) How does the poop look? Normal? Bloody? Runny? etc. very large when I first take her out of the coop and then normal.
8) What has been the treatment you have administered so far? I have been taking her into the bathroom in the morning and running a warm shower to warm and moisten the room. She will poop, but no egg. Thought egg bound but the only other sign is the fluffy feathers.
9 ) What is your intent as far as treatment? For example, do you want to treat completely yourself, or do you need help in stabilizing the bird til you can get to a vet? I just want to know if it is normal for her to lay in her coop for a week with no egg. Should I take her to a vet. What can they do? I don't feel an egg in her but she lays some really big eggs (about 2-3/4 ounces). She has laid almost every day for 3 months now.
10) If you have a picture of the wound or condition, please post it. It may help. no visible wound
11) Describe the housing/bedding in use
I have a dog run and inside the dog run is a large (3.5'x4.5') dog house raised up off the ground ab out a foot with shelves inside but she would lay her eggs under the shelf.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

Could she be broody? When you reach in for her does she fluff out and growl at you? Is she sitting on anything (real eggs, plastic eggs, golf ball, rocks, I've even heard of them trying to hatch horse poop)? Did she lay a bunch of eggs before she quit laying?
Buff orps are a broody breed. She's about the righta ge for it too.

 

[Kittymomma]

Broody would be my first guess too. When you take her out and she poos it a big stinking mess?

Try giving her a few eggs while she is on the nest. If she starts cooing at them and tucking them underneath her then you have a broody hen. What you do at that point will depend on whether or not you want to let her hatch some eggs or not. Let us know how it goes.

 

[cforeman]

No she is laying in the very back of the coop. But if I touch her and/or pull her out she fluffs up like a turkey. She is not on any eggs. I was reading about egg binding and it said she would fluff up. But I don't feel any thing down there. If I close the coop door she will walk around and eat. I brought her into the bathroom the last 4 days and she has dropped a big stinky one. That seems to be the only time she comes out of the coop when I go in after her. So I guess she is holding her poop all day. But she had been eating when I take her inside and she walks around when I lock the coop door. She just fluffs up walking around so I open the door and she goes back in there. But she is not sitting on anything. I thought she might be low on calcium so I bought some the other day. So she has had calcium 3 times now. I just don't want to bring her to the vet if she is just broody.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

Sure sounds broody to me.

Does her comb look normal? If yes, then may be a medical issue, but if not, I would say broody.
Is her she acting tired or listless? If yes, then may be a medical issue, but if not, i would say broody.
When she fluffs up, does she make any noise? If yes, definately broody.

 

[Kittymomma]

I'm just not sure. A lot of what you're saying still sounds like she's at least "thinking" about going broody. Maybe you could post in the chicken behaviors and egg laying section as "Broody or not." That way people that have more experience then I do with broody hens can see it and give their opinions.

 

[melodylee]

I would say broody also, my hen is not setting on eggs either so that's not necessarily a deal breaker....

 

[kezabel]

yep sounds broody to me too, one of my girls will sit on nothing when she goes broody, put an egg in front of her and see if she rolls in under herself then you'll know.

 

[FrizzlesRule]

Yep, again, sounds like she want to be a mommy. As soon as you said "fluffed up," definitely sounds broody, but I would keep checking on her and make sure she is eating. Holding her poop all day is another thing broody hens do. Also see if she growls at you when you are near her or pick her up.

 

[ThreeBoysChicks]

So what is she up to today?