She won't leave the nesting box

[wendigo]

I did some research and read about broody hens but I'm not sure this is what's going on with mine. As the title says, the first thing in the morning she ran to the nest and has been sitting there all day. I didn't see her eat or drink anything, though she has some food in her crop (it feels normal). I tried giving her water but she didn't react untill I put some on her beak. She was just sitting there like she was stunned. I picked her up to check her but the outside looks fine. As soon as I put her down she ran back in her box.

Some other things about her that might be important:

- yesterday evening she's been a bit lethargic and then pooped out an egg with a soft shell. I found the yolk on the ground and the soft shell still hanging from her vent. She started acting normal again after that.

- 2 days ago she swallowed a shard of glass. They are burried in the ground and are really old and most of them aren't sharp. I always collect them when I find some but the chickens keep digging more out. They are free ranging.

- she's not sitting in any eggs. The only thing in the nest is a ping pong ball which she keeps adjusting from time to time.


Forgot to mention she's 8 or 9 months old. She laid around 10 normal eggs so far.

 

[chickenlver2013]

I did some research and read about broody hens but I'm not sure this is what's going on with mine. As the title says, the first thing in the morning she ran to the nest and has been sitting there all day. I didn't see her eat or drink anything, though she has some food in her crop (it feels normal). I tried giving her water but she didn't react untill I put some on her beak. She was just sitting there like she was stunned. I picked her up to check her but the outside looks fine. As soon as I put her down she ran back in her box.

Some other things about her that might be important:

- yesterday evening she's been a bit lethargic and then pooped out an egg with a soft shell. I found the yolk on the ground and the soft shell still hanging from her vent. She started acting normal again after that.

- 2 days ago she swallowed a shard of glass. They are burried in the ground and are really old and most of them aren't sharp. I always collect them when I find some but the chickens keep digging more out. They are free ranging.

- she's not sitting in any eggs. The only thing in the nest is a ping pong ball which she keeps adjusting from time to time.


Forgot to mention she's 8 or 9 months old. She laid around 10 normal eggs so far.

She's broody. In order to break her you'll have to put a big rock in her nest.

 

[wendigo]

She just got up on her own and went outside. I'm going to try that if she's doing it again.

 

[pwand]

She may be egg bound. Give her a human calcium or a tums. It can help her pass it. First check her doing an internal exam in her vent with a lubrication.

 

[wendigo]

She's acting normal again but now she stopped laying. No eggs from her for the past 2 days. She's been laying daily before the day she had this problem.

 

[chickenlver2013]

She's acting normal again but now she stopped laying. No eggs from her for the past 2 days. She's been laying daily before the day she had this problem.

It takes a while for a broody to start the laying cycle again.