Hen quit laying but acts like she is going to lay???

[MelissaBA]

I have a hen that had been laying good for the past month. The past 3 days, she gets on the nest like she is going to lay and sits for about an hour or so, but doesn't lay anything. She seems fine, she's eating, drinking, etc....Is it possible she is trying to be broody?

 

[Sustained]

Maybe egg bound? Feel around the vent to see if there feels like an egg is stuck there. You'll feel a big obvious egg lump from my experience with my first layers. Does she stand up straighter or kind of waddle when she walks?

 

[MelissaBA]

She is walking fine, doesn't seem like there is anything going on. What do I do if she is egg bound?

 

[Sustained]

Well if she's acting just fine and eating and drinking its not a big concern. More likely she's thinking about brooding or just making trips to confuse you lol I have a girl that sits in a nest box every day but has not yet laid a single egg. They like to keep us guessing. I just mentioned it as a safety measure to check. If you don't feel anything and she doesn't seem to be off in any way then I wouldn't worry. I used liquid calcium for egg binding but I never had a severe case.

 

[MelissaBA]

Thanks, I am watching her closely and she seems perfectly normal, just not laying...LOL...I wonder if I put eggs in her nest if she would sit in case she is trying to get broody?

 

[Sustained]

Thanks, I am watching her closely and she seems perfectly normal, just not laying...LOL...I wonder if I put eggs in her nest if she would sit in case she is trying to get broody?

It might encourage her. I would certainly be tempted

what breed is she?

 

[azygous]

How old is this hen? Is it a new layer or an older hen?

If your girl was going broody, there are many more symptoms than simply sitting in a nest. Absent any of the other broody signs, missing feathers on the breast, a low, persistent "popping" cluck, an occasional outburst of screeching, all around bad mood, I'd say she may be having the urge to lay an egg, but it may be hung up.

I have had two hens lately, one age five, and the other age seven, exhibit difficulty in laying. They behaved much as you've described your hen, camping out in the nest box with no results. In both cases, after a twenty-minute warm tub soak, they each laid their egg. However, on a few occasions, the egg didn't appear until two days after the soak, but more often, the egg was laid soon after.

I also discovered that holding the hen on my lap on top of a warm heating pad for twenty minutes was just as effective as a warm water soak, and there was no soaking wet hen to deal with.

 

[MelissaBA]

She is less than a year old and just started laying about 3-4 months ago. She is not making any unusual noises, there is nothing abnormal or anything different with her behavior. She just goes in around the same time as she would if she were laying and sits on the nest for about an hour or so, comes down, nothing there....I'm not sure what is going on but like I said she doesn't seem sick, lethargic or in pain.

 

[MelissaBA]

She is a black orpington....I don't have any of her eggs of course but do have some buff orpington eggs that I can put under her...

 

[Sustained]

She sounds just like my little white silkie girl lol I keep checking 'her' basket for an egg and nothing. She's not egg bound. But she sure looks comfy sitting in her nest. Stays there about an hour or so and then wanders off looking for food. I call her my little freeloader

Orps are so pretty! One day I will have a few...