Hen taking a long time to lay?

[drstratton]

Hi everyone! One of my BO hens has been in the coop for several hours, in a nesting box, out of a nesting box, watching her sisters lay their eggs...I'm beginning to think she might be having a problem! She's almost 5.5 months old and has been laying eggs for almost a month without any problems! When do you think I should start to be concerned? Thank you!

 

[chickenlittle21]

She could be broody

 

[drstratton]

She could be broody

Thank you! That thought did cross my mind, but there were eggs in some of the boxes and she didn't hop up on them! Of course that doesn't mean she's not broody, I just want to share more information!

 

[aart]

Doesn't sound broody to me, sounds like someone is in the nest that she wants.
Just be patient, no need to panic.
They can be real drama queens some days.

 

[drstratton]

Doesn't sound broody to me, sounds like someone is in the nest that she wants.
Just be patient, no need to panic.
They can be real drama queens some days.

Thank you Aart! I hope that's what's going on with her...I've never seen her display this type of behavior, I have seen one of my other hens be a drama queen though...they can be funny little creatures! I'm just hoping she's not egg bound! Getting ready to go out and check on her now!

 

[drstratton]

So, she came running with the rest of the flock to get some cracked corn that I throw out for them every morning. After that she headed back into the coop doing the same thing she did yesterday. She's usually out foraging with the rest of the flock all day! I decided to bring her in & check to see if she's egg bound! First I offered her some mash with some calcium in it & she really went after that. So her appetite is good. I checked & didn't feel an egg. I then placed her on the floor & offered her a bowl of water. I wanted to see if she was able to defecate, which she did fairly quickly. It seemed to be a lot of fresh grass & a little corn. Since she was able to poop, I'm hoping that means there isn't an egg stuck further down. I'm going to take her back out to the pen & observe her walking around for a bit!

 

[aart]

It seemed to be a lot of fresh grass & a little corn.

Are you providing digestive granite grit?

When I have a bird that is acting off, I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.


Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

 

[drstratton]

Are you providing digestive granite grit?

When I have a bird that is acting off, I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.


Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

Thank you so much! She seems to have improved, I have a dog crate, but it is at a friend's house, they are using it to acclimate a Silkie hen I gave to her little boy. They live about an hour from me. I was able to observe her poop a couple of times, I did a parasite check in it and also checked her over when I had her inside. I didn't feel all of the way under her abdomen, but I will go and do that now!

 

[drstratton]

Are you providing digestive granite grit?

When I have a bird that is acting off, I isolate bird in a wire cage within the coop for a day or two....so I can closely monitor their intake of food and water, crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops. Feel their abdomen, from below vent to between legs, for squishy or hard swelling. Check for external parasites or any other abnormalities.


Best to put crate right in coop or run so bird is still 'with' the flock.
I like to use a fold-able wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller mesh(1x2) on bottom of crate under tray.
Then you can put tray underneath crate to better observe droppings without it being stepped in. If smaller mesh is carefully installed, tray can still be used inside crate.

I just checked her abdomen & didn't feel anything abnormal. She was back in the coop near the nesting boxes again! I will bring her back into the house again and observe her a little longer! She did seem to have an appetite & has pooped! She's a sweet girl and easy to handle!

 

[aart]

crop function(checking at night and in morning before providing more feed), and their poops.