Pale Comb/ won't leave nesting box

[andersonfam4]

Hi, our sunflower has been acting strange lately. She hasn't been leaving her nesting box and when we open it she fluffs up and grunts. At first I figured she may be going Brody but then today I noticed her comb was turning white and her legs look really pale. She is eating and drinking but I let her out to roam and all she wanted to do was go back in her box. Any help would be great this is our first time raising chickens and the first real problem we have had.

 

[OwO]

Is she puffing up a lot and then just sitting on the ground for a few seconds when you take her out of the nest box, only to then run back in while clucking constantly? If so I would expect she is just broody and perhaps not getting enough sunlight or maybe not enough food and water. If I were you I would let take her out of the nest box and stay outside with her to make sure she doesn't go back in for a while. If you let them free range, take her outside with the feeder and waterer (this is what I do with my broody hen) and make sure she eats and drinks from them and stays outside for a while. Sometimes I hold mine on my lap for a while until she jumps off and then has a dust bath or preens for a bit.

I'm no expert though, so I hope it is nothing serious.

 

[Eggcessive]

Welcome to BYC. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between a broody hen and a sick one. In my experience when removed from the nest box and carried off somewhere, a broody will plop down for a few seconds, then either take off running back to the nest box, or fan her tail tail feathers in an upside down V, and cluck-cluck-cluck. She may stop for a large green stinky broody poop, may eat and drink, and then run back to the nest. They usually stop laying, sit in a trance, and have a bare belly and chest to cover the eggs. If you suspect that she is sick, I would check inside her vent an inch or two, to feel for a stuck egg. Check her crop which should be empty in early mornings, make sure that she can walk, and that she has no noisy breathing. Check her droppings for diarrhea or blood.

 

[KayTee]

MelonHeadSeb and Eggcessive have some good advice. You need to take her off the nest and check her out like Eggcessive suggests.

A true broody will sit for a few minutes wherever you place her, because she's still in a bit of a broody trance. If you stroke her for a minute or two she will 'come to' and start to run around like a mad thing, eat a bit, drink a bit, run around like a mad thing again, cluck a lot (like a demented banshee), fan her feathers, eat, drink, cluck, run... you get the picture. After a while (could be 5 minutes could be 20, depends on the chicken) she will head back to the nest.

How long has she been on the nest, and has she been eating and drinking all the time? Some broodies are so devoted to the nest that they won't get off to eat and drink (and poop) as often as necessary, which can lead to them becoming dehydrated and malnourished.

If your girl simply wanders back to the nest quietly with no fuss then she is either at the very start of being broody and not really commited or she is sick and trying to keep out of everyone's way.

 

[AmyBearer]

Hi, our sunflower has been acting strange lately. She hasn't been leaving her nesting box and when we open it she fluffs up and grunts. At first I figured she may be going Brody but then today I noticed her comb was turning white and her legs look really pale. She is eating and drinking but I let her out to roam and all she wanted to do was go back in her box. Any help would be great this is our first time raising chickens and the first real problem we have had.

Would you mind updating this? I have an orphinton buff doing the same thing. She is between 2-3 years old.

 

[Abriana]

Hi, our sunflower has been acting strange lately. She hasn't been leaving her nesting box and when we open it she fluffs up and grunts. At first I figured she may be going Brody but then today I noticed her comb was turning white and her legs look really pale. She is eating and drinking but I let her out to roam and all she wanted to do was go back in her box. Any help would be great this is our first time raising chickens and the first real problem we have had.

Not sick, broody

 

[Eggcessive]

Would you mind updating this? I have an orphinton buff doing the same thing. She is between 2-3 years old.

Welcome to BYC. Can you describe what your hen is doing? Broodiness is a pretty strong hormonal condition. To break a broody hen, I put them in a large crate with food and water, and try to place a low roost in as well. They need to spend around 5 days in there, although some will break in 3 days. If they are let out and run back to the nest box, then they need more time.

 

[AmyBearer]

My orpington buff is between 2-3 years old and I noticed she was sitting in the nesting box after my husband changed the straw on Sunday. Every time I have checked on my hens since, she has been in the same spot, she fluffs up and makes a low chirp/growl noise. Yesterday, we picked her up and checked her body to make sure she wasn't wounded. They aren't used to being handled, so it was not a super thorough check; we just looked her over. We also removed the two eggs she was sitting on. Today, I chased her out of the nesting box (it's a mobile coop), and she ate some scratch & watermelon, jumped up on a table and pooped, then she returned to the nesting box. While she was out, I noticed that the other hens were protective of the food around her, and her comb is noticeably paler than all of the rest. We do not have any rooster. Is she just broody, or do I need to somehow inspect her more thoroughly?

 

[Wyorp Rock]

My orpington buff is between 2-3 years old and I noticed she was sitting in the nesting box after my husband changed the straw on Sunday. Every time I have checked on my hens since, she has been in the same spot, she fluffs up and makes a low chirp/growl noise. Yesterday, we picked her up and checked her body to make sure she wasn't wounded. They aren't used to being handled, so it was not a super thorough check; we just looked her over. We also removed the two eggs she was sitting on. Today, I chased her out of the nesting box (it's a mobile coop), and she ate some scratch & watermelon, jumped up on a table and pooped, then she returned to the nesting box. While she was out, I noticed that the other hens were protective of the food around her, and her comb is noticeably paler than all of the rest. We do not have any rooster. Is she just broody, or do I need to somehow inspect her more thoroughly?

Hi @AmyBearer Welcome To BYC

It sounds like she is broody. If you are not planning on hatching eggs, it's best to break the broodiness like @Eggcessive described.

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/2012/05/broody-breaker-when-hens-mood-to-hatch.html