Mature hen sick? Great layer has stopped and spends all day in coop

[atckbint]

Need help. Our robust RIR has not been laying for 4 days. Yesterday we gave her liquid with fine calcium in it and also put olive oil in and around her vent. She then pooped a very large medium green, thick stool. She normally lays an egg at least every other day. Her eyes are bright and she's alert. She ate this morning, but then went back into the coop for the day. What should I do??

Andrea

 

[kellim]

Is is possible she is molting? I had a hen just finish a molt and she stopped laying suddenly and then started back about 2 months later. On the other hand yours could be eggbound. If you go to search and type in eggbound there are lots of great things to try. Can you feel around the lower part of her tummy and feel the egg? When mine got eggbound she could only poop liquid poop. Her egg miraculously passed on it's own but it was HUGE! Hopefully this will bump you up where someone who has dealt with this more will answer.

 

[atckbint]

thanks, Kelli! I got this hen mature from a chicken-savvy country lady, but I don't know how old she is. I thought of the issue of the molting phase, but I was treating her as if she had some sort of Vitamin D imbalance. "Henrietta" has lots of good, regular calcium in her diet, but maybe had a bit too much green that I fed her, which may have thrown her calcium absorption off).

Previously, she certainly looked and seemed healthy and acted very alpha female, though a bit worse for wear in the behind from prior roo mounts.

Our run and coop are both are very large (and clean) for just 3 hens (I must be one of the only chicken raisers in urban-suburban Arlington County, Virginia).

I feed mainly laying mash, with very occasional protein additions (once per 3 weeks), more regular kitchen greens (twice per week), once per week sparse grass clippings, and once a week bready-type offerings.

Andrea

I appreciate a forum like this to be able to talk chicken!

Andrea

 

[mypicklebird]

This might be a bit of a silly answer if you are a long term chicken keeper- but have you seen or had a hen go broody on you? RIR are not generally known for being broody, but it is possible. Growly hen in the nest box or nesting on the floor, they won't lay eggs, and poop only a few times a day- HUGE poops that often smell worse than normal chicken poop. They will walk around with their feathers puffed up, complain loudly if you push them out of their nest, gooble food- then run back to their nest. Lasts for a month, or longer sometimes- until she gives up on hatching (or you get her to stop brooding- there are many methods to 'break up a broody'). There does not need to be eggs under her for her to stay broody. If you know what a broody hen looks like- and it's not her, sorry for this goofy suggestion.
jess

 

[silkiechicken]

If she's bright eyed, bushy tailed, and wants to sit on a nest... sounds like you have a broody!

 

[atckbint]

No, Jess, that's not a goofy suggestion! I'm really new to this great hobby and have a big learning curve ahead. Thank goodness for this forum. Your description of a broody fits my hen perfectly. You and SilkieChicken are big helps, thank you! Now, on to working on breaking up a broody . . . .

Andrea