one of my year-old chickens has not been laying or pooping for 3 days and I think it's a pasty butt should I clean it?

[chickens hatch]

one of my year-old chickens has not been laying or pooping for 3 days and I think it's a pasty butt should I clean it? everytime i try to collect eggs she runs with the feathers up! please help me out

 

[nuthatched]

She sounds broody, she could be cleaned if it's warm enough

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Yep, she definitely sounds broody. No need to clean her unless you see that her vent is really dirty. (If she's running I'd say she's feeling fine...) She won't lay eggs while broody and will hold her poop while she sits in her nest all day. She'll only come out once or twice a day to eat and drink and leave a giant pile of stinking poop. She also won't want anyone to bother her hence the raised feathers and probably a lot of clucking.... Nothing quite like a broody hen

 

[aart]

I think it's a pasty butt should I clean it?

Have you looked closely at her vent to make sure it's clear?

 

[chickens hatch]

She sounds broody, she could be cleaned if it's warm enough

yes, that's what I thought but she hasn't been sitting on any eggs and doesn't move. once she didn't change where she was seated for seven hours! and her feathers are starting to flake and such but shes only 11 months old

 

[chickens hatch]

b

Yep, she definitely sounds broody. No need to clean her unless you see that her vent is really dirty. (If she's running I'd say she's feeling fine...) She won't lay eggs while broody and will hold her poop while she sits in her nest all day. She'll only come out once or twice a day to eat and drink and leave a giant pile of stinking poop. She also won't want anyone to bother her hence the raised feathers and probably a lot of clucking.... Nothing quite like a broody hen

but shes not sitting on anything

 

[chickens hatch]

Have you looked closely at her vent to make sure it's clear?

yes the vent is clean

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

b

but shes not sitting on anything

Hens will go broody after laying for awhile whether or not there are any eggs for them to hatch. Some breeds are more prone to broodiness than others, and it varies hen to hen as well. I have some girls that only go broody for a week before "realizing" that they are being silly sitting in an empty nest rather than having fun in the yard, but then there is one that will stubbornly sit in her empty nest for a month or more. I generally leave my girls to brood, but a hen will start to lose weight from all that sitting around and only eating a couple times a day so making them get out once or twice a day isn't a bad idea.

 

[chickens hatch]

Hens will go broody after laying for awhile whether or not there are any eggs for them to hatch. Some breeds are more prone to broodiness than others, and it varies hen to hen as well. I have some girls that only go broody for a week before "realizing" that they are being silly sitting in an empty nest rather than having fun in the yard, but then there is one that will stubbornly sit in her empty nest for a month or more. I generally leave my girls to brood, but a hen will start to lose weight from all that sitting around and only eating a couple times a day so making them get out once or twice a day isn't a bad idea.

good advice, i have a leghorn by the way. should i put a fertile egg under her? then she would sit on something?

 

[Razzlefrazzle]

Interesting. Leghorns are noted for how rarely they go broody. If you want to encourage broodiness you can put an egg under her, but if you are looking to hatch chicks you'll probably want/need to use an incubator as it's unlikely she'll stay broody long enough to hatch the eggs.