Is Millie sick? Advice please!

PrimeFactor

Chirping
Nov 17, 2018
31
150
89
Portland, OR
My 3-year-old black australorp typically lays an egg nearly every day (probably 2 out of 3 days) but the past few days has NOT, and just sits and sits in the nest box, barely even coming out to eat/drink. She is even sleeping in the nest box, not roosting on a perch! Very odd for her.

My husband picked her up to set her in front of the food & water, and we noticed her chest is all bald! This doesn't seem like molting. But we've only had our 2 rescue hens since last fall and are not experienced.

Is Millie sick? I am very worried. I've attached a photo of her now-bald chest. Is this a spring thing? Our other hen is not acting weird like this. Help! :(
 

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But why is she not laying any eggs? She used to lay nearly every day but hasn't in the last few, and she's sitting in an empty box... Also, why is her chest bald? I'm confused.
Broody hens don't lay. Their system is 'on hold' until their chicks are older or they are broken from their brood.
The chest is bare to transfer heat to the eggs.
 
Broody hens don't lay. Their system is 'on hold' until their chicks are older or they are broken from their brood.
The chest is bare to transfer heat to the eggs.
Thank you! Do you know how one can "un-broody" a hen in this state? I'm worried because she's barely eating.
 
Do you know how one can "un-broody" a hen in this state? I'm worried because she's barely eating.
A broody's metabolism slows down when they are setting, not laying also consolidates nutrition stores, they will get up and eat, drink, and drop a huge turd every other day or so.

You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for more chickens and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.
upload_2019-4-25_6-52-54.png
 
A broody's metabolism slows down when they are setting, not laying also consolidates nutrition stores, they will get up and eat, drink, and drop a huge turd every other day or so.

You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for more chickens and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.
View attachment 1751396
We only have 2 hens -- They are rescues. Millie isn't laying ANY eggs! There are no males, so no fertile eggs possible even if she was laying. We live in the city and have a small secure henhouse and fenced yard -- Millie and her sister Peaches have free run of the yard all day.

Will a hen eventually stop being broody or do I need to do these specific steps to preserve her health? Someone told me that if you bathe a broody hen it will break the behavior cycle, but that might just be an Old Wives' tale...
 
Will a hen eventually stop being broody or do I need to do these specific steps to preserve her health? Someone told me that if you bathe a broody hen it will break the behavior cycle, but that might just be an Old Wives' tale...
Eventually she probably will stop, but the quicker you break her the less time it will take and the less stress on her system overall there will be. IME, and others, the crate is the quickest way.
Dunking them in cold water is a bit of wives tale, kind of cruel IMO and too cold of water could shock her system. But the overall idea is to cool off her belly, it's why you raise the crate off the ground/floor. If breaking a broody in very hot weather, wetting her belly is not a bad idea before putting her in the crate.
 

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