Sick Hen?

[countryriders2]

No she is pretty quite. She will growl a bit but will let me pick her up. Gets all puffy. Will she continue to lay eggs or will she stop? I haven't gotten any from her now for a couple of days.

 

[casportpony]

She won't lay if she's gone broody.

-Kathy

 

[ChickenManTN]

When you said she "isn't happy" I imagined a sick looking hen. ...should have taken that more literally. Sounds like she'll be happy if she can hatch a brood of chicks. If it's her first time going broody she may be just as confused as everyone else.

 

[ChickenManTN]

If you have a rooster you could put some fertile eggs under her and see how she does. She may give up on it in a few days, or she could continue to set for weeks. Some people will let a broody hen set for several days to make sure she doesn't quit before putting fertile eggs under her. Some hens aren't good setters and will lose interest quickly. If you want her to snap out of it and resume laying there are techniques people use to break the spell. Some put them in a small cage with no straw or other nest-type material for a few days. Some give the hen an ice-water dip. My grandmother (no joke,) used to tie a rope to a hen's leg, throw her in the pond, and retrieve her a few times to get the egg machine going again. I like the fertile egg idea better, letting her satisfy her instinct.

 

[countryriders2]

I don't think I'll use the pond for a quick dip, but the cage idea may be ok. I have a rooster just don't know if I'm ready for more chicks as of yet. Today is her 4th day.