sick hen?

[nbradford]

One of my 6 hens has been staying in the nesting box for two days now. She doesn't seem to want to leave. We normally get 4 to 6 eggs a day and the past two days we've gotten only 3. Is egg binding a possibility? If so how do I tell if this is her problem? And...then what?

 

[krazycow6]

My guess would be that she wants some eggs under her. Although you know your chickens better than anyone, so don't count sickness out, but she is probably just broody.

 

[krazycow6]

My guess would be that she wants some eggs under her. Although you know your chickens better than anyone, so don't count sickness out, but she is probably just broody. During this time they will stop laying.

 

[nbradford]

If she's broody would you suggest I just let her be? Can I swap out the real eggs for fakes? Does she just brood until she gets it out of her system so to speak? So many questions...

 

[easttxchick]

Does she seem grumpy to you? Is she letting you get near her in the nest box? If so, she may not be broody(but she could be headed in that direction). I would check her abdomen for egg binding, just to be sure that isn't the case.

 

[krazycow6]

Yea, you can do that but it may take quite a while. I usually remove my broodies from the box at night, and during the day I dip them in a bucket of water. It works for me, but there are several methods different people use. If nothing is working and you do not want chicks then you may have to confine her to an area away from the nest until her urge resides. Good luck, she might be stubborn. LOL

 

[nbradford]

She gets all puffy when I try to move her but she doesn't seem particularly grumpy. I got her up tonight and she went to the feeder and ate a bit. She looks fine on the outside but I'll see if I can feel something in her abdomen. Would it be obvious? This is clearly the question of a beginner but we have no roosters, just hens, so chicks aren't an option here...would she still be broody?

 

[Kittymomma]

Have you found any piles of big stinking chicken poo? Broody poo is legendary for its size and smell so you'll know it if you see it. If that is the case and she is broody for sure I think she's better off if you break her from being broody unless you plan on getting her some fertile eggs or day old chicks.

 

[nbradford]

How do I break her from being broody?

 

[Kittymomma]

The method that I see people having the most success with is to put her in a wire bottom cage that is off the ground--a rabbit cage works well. The air circulation underneath her seems to be an important part. You want the cage to be large enough that she can get up and move around a bit and to put food/water in. Don't put anything that she could use as a nest though. Most of them will give it up after a couple of days. Sometimes you can break them by just taking them off the nest several times a day and putting them on the roost at night. Try doing a search on "breaking a broody" and you'll get lots of ideas.