Is my chicken sick or just broody?

[janneluecke]

Please help! My Buff Orpington started sitting in a nesting box a few days ago and won't come out. I don't have a rooster, my hens are for laying only. Is she just being broody? When I first noticed it I removed the egg that was under her but she still stayed and I don't think she has laid an egg since.I took her out once and she went right back in. Since I'm not out there all the time I didn't know if she has been even coming out to eat and drink so I put some mealworms right in front of her and she wouldn't even touch them. That worries me. When chickens are broody will they stop laying or will they not even eat for a time? I'm afraid she will starve. When I took her out she just sat down in the yard until I forced her to get up and move, then she let out the biggest poop I've seen from a chicken! I wonder if she hadn't been pooping because she's not eating or moving around much. Then she just went back the coop and sat in the same box again. Any advice??? Thank you

 

[21hens-incharge]

When you reach in her nest does she fluff her feathers and make odd growling noises?
Not all but most will do that when broody.

The not eating is normal as is the giant stinky poops.

I think she may be going broody on you. BUT then I am not there so cannot say for certain.

There are a multitude of threads about breaking the broody cycle. If you do not plan to get chicks for her to adopt or eggs for her to try and hatch you may want to break her.

Watch her for any signs of illness of course as she may actually be I'll.

A few videos of broody hens and how they can sound.

 

[janneluecke]

When you reach in her nest does she fluff her feathers and make odd growling noises?
Not all but most will do that when broody.

The not eating is normal as is the giant stinky poops.

I think she may be going broody on you. BUT then I am not there so cannot say for certain.

There are a multitude of threads about breaking the broody cycle. If you do not plan to get chicks for her to adopt or eggs for her to try and hatch you may want to break her.

Watch her for any signs of illness of course as she may actually be I'll.

A few videos of broody hens and how they can sound.

She is doing just that. That's kind of how she always acted if you 'bugged' her while she was laying but the past week she has spent increasingly more time in the nesting box and now doesn't seem to come out at all. If she thinks she is hatching an egg, will she actually sit there for 3 weeks. Do they ever starve themselves or will they eat when they have to? That's my biggest concern. I put food and water right in front of the box to make it easy for her. She doesn't show any signs of illness so I think I'll give her a few more days then I'll try and break her of the brooding. Thanks for the info.

 

[Micaelasaintlaurent]

Ours is doing the same thing out of the blue. We removed her and all the eggs and she eventually just gave us being broody and left the nesting boxes. It was the first time we saw her so broody and she doesnt even lay anymore so we thought she was just going through withdraws. I am swinging more towards yours being broody than sick.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The best time to break them is right away.
They may sit for 3 weeks or way longer. It depends on the bird. The longer they sit the more they go downhill in weight and condition.

The only effective way to break my bantam is to give her chicks. Uber broody breed though.

I do strongly recommend breaking her right away. Some will refuse food altogether and others will make a mad dash around the yard for water, food, dust and back to the kids.

 

[Micaelasaintlaurent]

I agree with what is said. We had to force both our orpington and our silkie from being broody. It takes us constantly pushing them out of the box, which for our orpington, well she is never happy about that and likes to puff up and complain. After two weeks of us doing that and removing all the eggs so she has nothing under her, she is finally back to her normal self.

 

[GraceW]

It is weird! most of my RIR's do that exact same thing but they aren't supposed to go broody. My Barred rocks, on the other hand, never do that and they are considered to be more broody than RIRs. Also I do not have a rooster.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I know what you mean Grace.

My Aussies have been terribly broody this year. First time I have had to deal with so many broody monsters of that breed.

My bantam Cochin.... Well bless her heart she is always broody. Good thing she is willing to adopt.

 

[WILIFORD]

the most effective way I found is put them in an isolation pen, that is screened on the top, bottom and all four sides, on legs about 12 to 18 inches off of the ground. This will create ventilation and cooling, cause there body temperature to decrease. it usually takes 3 days but some of mine have taken 7 days in the pen to correct. The problem is when their body goes into the state to hatch eggs, which is a natural occurrence, weather there is rooster present or not, their body temperature goes up to incubate the egg. A chicken that has been broody for several days or longer will eventually start plucking feathers out of their belly area to make better body contact with the egg to transfer more heat to the egg. By bring their body temperature down they will come out of the brooding state. I was told giving them a bath in cool water does they same thing, but I had absolutely no success with that idea.

 

[janneluecke]

The best time to break them is right away.
They may sit for 3 weeks or way longer. It depends on the bird. The longer they sit the more they go downhill in weight and condition.

The only effective way to break my bantam is to give her chicks. Uber broody breed though.

I do strongly recommend breaking her right away. Some will refuse food altogether and others will make a mad dash around the yard for water, food, dust and back to the kids.

I did actually start last night. I sat her in cool water for five minutes then put her out in the yard with the other chickens and blocked the entrance to the coop. She kept to herself for a while but then joined the others foraging. I thought maybe it had worked but as soon as I let them back in for bedtime she went to the nesting box and was still there this morning. I'm just going to try to force her outside as often as I can, close the coop when I know the others are done laying. I'll give an update when I see any change. Thanks for all the help everybody.