Hen not laying/acting strange

[Kiannahboo]

My little six month old hen ( I call her Roadrunner ), is acting a little strange. She used to lay just fine, one little egg each day. Until two days ago, when she went into our nesting boxes and sat there, morning to night. Same thing happened the next day and today. When I decided something what definitely not right, I checked on her, raised her little body up and I saw no egg. Today I took her out of the boxes and she walked around all fluffed up, and her tail was sticking right up. So I fed her some electrolyte water and gave her some layer pellets, and she seemed to have more energy. But as soon as I let her down, she was back to being fluffed up and tail sticking right up. Her wings are also drooping. One of my roosters tried to mate with her and she fluffed

up even more and started to wipe her beak on the grass. She kept wanting to go inside the chicken coop so I let her in. She ran right into the same nesting box and still no egg. Can anyone tell me what’s wrong with my hen?

 

[sourland]

She's broody. She wants to set on a clutch of eggs and become a mom.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

If she's not straining to pass an egg and pooping normally I agree she might be going broody. You'll know for sure if she starts yanking out her belly feathers and stealing the other chickens' eggs to build a clutch

 

[Kiannahboo]

We dont wish to hatch any eggs which may be the cause. However, is there any other way to solve this problen without hatching more chickens?

 

[Kiannahboo]

What to do if my hen is straining to lay eggs?

 

[Yardmom]

If it is a stuck egg that is called egg bound. I have not treated a hen for it, but I believe extra calcium and an epsom salt bath. Look up the treatment for more details. Is your hen staying on the nest at night as well? I think it is more likely that she is broody than egg bound. There are ways to "break" broody hens including a lifted wire cage that keeps them from going back to the nest.

 

[aart]

However, is there any other way to solve this problen without hatching more chickens?

Absolutely.
It's called 'broody breaking'.
There are several different ways to do it, but IMO a breaker crate works fastest.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire(1x2) on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

After 48 hours I let her out of crate very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate for another 48 hours.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor, gives the feet a break from the wire floor and encourages roosting.

 

[Kiannahboo]

I did soak her for 20 mins in a warm water with epsom salt in it. Then kept her in a different brooder and gave her some yogurt as I didn’t have any calcium supplements. Today too she is seated whole time. She doesn’t like to be touched. I tried to take her but she wouldn’t let me touch her.

 

[Kiannahboo]

Absolutely.
It's called 'broody breaking'.
There are several different ways to do it, but IMO a breaker crate works fastest.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire(1x2) on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

After 48 hours I let her out of crate very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate for another 48 hours.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor, gives the feet a break from the wire floor and encourages roosting.

View attachment 3016378

Thanks for your suggestion. I will try this too.