Roosting all day, fluffed up and whimpering

[Eggcessive]

You say has hasn’t laid in awhile. How long ago did she stop laying? Internal laying and salpingitis are common in some hens. How old is she?

 

[The_Flock]

I'm no pro. Could she be molting?

 

[Justin0271]

You say has hasn’t laid in awhile. How long ago did she stop laying? Internal laying and salpingitis are common in some hens. How old is she?

They came with the house when we moved in near the beginning of the year. From what i can tell she's a red shaver, but I have no idea what her age is. It's spring here so I doubt it's the molt. Come to think of it it's been a few months or more, but the weather has been odd, and only two of the six hens are laying since winter broke. I suspect the mites set in earlier in the season and we've been battling them ever since.

 

[Justin0271]

Update: After separating her for the night and her seeming fine we let her back out. After a bit we checked on her and she'd gone back to the odd behavior of puffing and trilling. Brought her back inside and kept her overnight again, This time her crop didn't empty the whole way, so it looks like it is a problem with the crop, and we'll have to treat for that also her poops have been green and fibrous lately, so part of it all must be impacted grass. Also, we gave her an egg just to see what would happen, now she's sitting on it and doing the whole puffed up trill thing inside, which means she went broody without even having an egg?

 

[Eggcessive]

Is her crop puffy and full? Or is it firm? She may be broody, but they can have reproductive disorders that can make the crop slow way down. Let us know if she is pulling out her chest and belly feathers and still acting broody.

 

[Justin0271]

Side note, no matter how late we go in to check on her she seems to be awake, is that normal? Is it something about being separated out in a cage?

 

[Eggcessive]

Broodies that I have had usually lie quietly flattened out and look like they are in a trance. I suppose they close their eyes sometimes.

 

[Justin0271]

Ok, she's not plucking out her own feathers, she preens a lot if let outside and there seems to be a gap in them (there's none growing) over her crop, which is still mushy after last being fed two days ago so she definitely has sour crop. Her poop has started to just be green and white sludge. I can tell if she's been taking water or not, but if it continues to look like she isn't we might have to syringe it into her, we've put garlic in it. We're gonna start her on a yogurt diet, and then eventually add scrambled eggs to that. Then add normal feed to that later, hopefully we can get rid of the sour crop that way. I read that broody hens will often puff up and growl when approached, I'm guessing her growl is higher pitched either because the sour crop is affecting her breathing or that's just how her growl sounds.

 

[Eggcessive]

If you think that she has sour crop, then I would break her in a dog crate with water treated with electrolytes and vitamins. Broodies can have full puffy crops normally, at least mine have. Sour crop would have a sour or rotten odor. Many give chilled coconut oil chopped into small slivers for crop issues. A tsp daily is the usual dose. Here are 2 good articles about crop treatments:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...w-to-know-which-one-youre-dealing-with.73607/

https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...ntion-and-treatments-of-crop-disorders.67194/

 

[Lizzy733]

It does sound 'broodyesque' and it is the season for you. Sex links are not known to be good broodies and I occasionally see mine trying it on in the evening, but they are nowhere near the brood-level of my silkie.
Puffed up, wings spread while swiping their beaks on the ground like an open threat to their flockmates - those are all broody moves. They will also 'tick' constantly while up and about.
You can look up videos on what a broody hen looks like - they're pretty unmistakable.
Being a sexlink, she may not be getting all the cues right as well - like continuing to sleep on the roost as opposed to a corner or nest.