Silkie Hen Staying In Nesting Box ALL DAY?????

[tmpar]

P.S. she has NO other symptoms of being sick at all.

 

[barpen]

I don't see any folllow up to this post? I have an orpington who is less than a year and is sooooo broody. She is actually sitting in her box with or without eggs. She will not come out to eat or drink. When we take her out to the yard, she has a hard time standing up. She is also missing feathers. She seems to becoming more weak and lethargic and is continually ornery. We do not have roosters. i don't know how long it's been since she has laid an egg either. She's one of my favorite chickens too. The weather is getting very cold and I don't want anything to happen to her. Help?

 

[krista74]

I don't see any folllow up to this post? I have an orpington who is less than a year and is sooooo broody. She is actually sitting in her box with or without eggs. She will not come out to eat or drink. When we take her out to the yard, she has a hard time standing up. She is also missing feathers. She seems to becoming more weak and lethargic and is continually ornery. We do not have roosters. i don't know how long it's been since she has laid an egg either. She's one of my favorite chickens too. The weather is getting very cold and I don't want anything to happen to her. Help?

First up,

I must admit I am a little worried about your girl.

Broodies don't generally get lethargic or lose their ability to walk. Granted, they can sometimes walk slowly and they will puff themselves up to the max. They will also grizzle while they are walking about, but normally they are still quite feisty and are certainly not weak.

How long has she been on her nest for?

Is there any chance she could have a severe lice or mite infestation? Are the missing feathers on her breast or elsewhere on her body? Is there redness on her skin?

Also, have you wormed her recently?

If she is indeed broody (and not just unwell), I think it's time to take matters into your own hands with her. You have to be cruel to be kind, and lock her in a broody buster cage. She can have feed and water, but no bedding. Three or four days in the cage should break her of her broodiness and then she can get back to being her 'normal' self again.

I do stress this point though: Please give her and her coop and her nest a good check up. As someone who has had 4 broody hens in the past 3 months, your girl does not sound well to me. I wonder if what she is exhibiting are signs of illness rather than broody behaviour?

Best wishes,

- Krista.

 

[aart]

My broody was a little shaky on her feet when I first pulled her off the nest, I even had to dip her beak in the waterer a few times to get her to drink, after 3 days/nights of sitting I employed a broody breaking regime.

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a few bricks right in the coop and I would feed her some watered down crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.

 

[barpen]

My broody was a little shaky on her feet when I first pulled her off the nest, I even had to dip her beak in the waterer a few times to get her to drink, after 3 days/nights of sitting I employed a broody breaking regime.

 My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a few bricks right in the coop and I would feed her some watered down crumble a couple times a day. 

I let her out a couple times a day and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.

 

[barpen]

Thank you Aart and Krista. I posted my question while I was travelling as my husband was concerned. "Henny" had been broody 3 weeks before I left then the whole 3 weeks while I was gone. When I went to see her, I pulled her out of her box (no eggs), she growled once, then started eating and behaving normal. She's not been back in her box since. I don't know if chickens miss people but that was the trick. She's still not laid any eggs but I'm so glad she seems ok. 6 weeks is too long.