odd behavior, not laying ... but appears somewhat healthy

[TaconChicks]

One of my chickens has been practically living in one of the nest boxes for the past few days. She has not layed an egg. She is (almost continually) making a quieter version of the loud noise the girls typically make just before laying. She has lost some weight, but I think that is primarily because she's not going to the food & water. We have been carrying her out to the food & water a couple times a day and she eats, drinks, poos, and runs back to the nest box. I had her in a crate for 24 hours with food & water in front of her (she was eating & drinking), but she was not really happy with that, so I let her out tonight. She ran around for about 10 minutes & a lot of poo came out (they don't go in nests, so I think she was holding it the entire time I had her in the crate.) Then she ran back to the nest box. I just went to check on her & the status is the same. I have checked her vent -- it is not red or swollen, and there does not appear to be any discharge leaking out. There are no worms in her poo. Her eyes look normal. She is walking and running normally. She is not molting. She is 10 months old.

Any suggestions? Could there be an egg stuck?

 

[d.k]

* Broody, maybe ???

 

[sammi]

sounds broody to me...meaning she wants to sit and hatch eggs.,so remove any eggs from her sight.
since she is young, you may be able to break the mood.
remove her and block her entrance to the nestbox, if you can..
she really must eat and drink, and getting her up and moving is good for her legs, too...

some people make a "broody pen"..for breaking broodies..similar to a rabbit hutch, with small wire floor, no nest material.
leave the hen in the pen about 4 days.
you might have to wire the feeder and waterer to the pen, since they often have a tantrum.
then try releasing her in the regular pen.
if she heads back to the nestbox..put her back in the broody pen for another 3 days..etc.

might be a good idea to give her some vitamins in the drinking water and some extra protein..such as cooked egg, or nonmedicated chick or grower feed mixed with layer feed to help build her back up.
a little plain active culture yogurt wouldn't hurt.

btw,,it isn't unusual for broody hens to have very large droppings...

 

[TaconChicks]

excellent suggestion ... after reading more I think this is it! I'll make sure she gets food & water & put DE in the nest box she is in & let her be.

 

[hillcountrychickens]

Let nature take it's course and leave her alone. She's broody. She will get up once a day or so to eat and stretch and drink water on her own, oh, and have one huge and smelly poop! (Assuming you have rooster and have a reason to let her set.) Otherwise, take the eggs away from her and she'll get over it on her own.

 

[hillcountrychickens]

What is DE?

 

[ChickenCop]

Diatomaceous Earth