Is she sick or just being her normal cranky self?

[PoPo76]

I only have 2 hens at the moment. One (Marisol) is quite the social gal. She would probably sit on the couch and watch TV with us. Anyway, the other (Consuela) is quite the opposite. She wont come near people at all. The last couple of days it became very hot. I noticed Marisol was sitting in the coop all day basically panting. I gave her a few hours and by the evening when it cooled down she was out roaming the yard again as usual. Yesterday I noticed Consuela in the coop for the entire day she wouldn't come out. Every time I went by she would let out a defensive yell and she's in there with all her feathers puffed out. Yesterday being quite hot I attributed it to the heat. The problem is that she's still in there not moving. I picked her up just to check for anything out of the ordinary. There are no visible signs of injury or illness. She's a little angry though she pecked at me a few times. She has 2 eggs under her.

So should I be worried? Is she sick or just moody/broody?

Here's a pic after I moved her:



This is her when she went back to her spot. This is not normal for her:



Edited by Staff

 

[LoveThemBirds]

Broody

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Broody

Yes i agree.

Quick, boil some water, she's going to have chicks!!!!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

That is one broody hen!

 

[PoPo76]

Thank you all. So I read through the "how to break a broody hen" thread. I had a question though. If there are no eggs in the coop will she still be broody?

Also, I pulled her out and returned her to her friends. She seemed OK for about an hour then went right back in the coop.

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Thank you all. So I read through the "how to break a broody hen" thread. I had a question though. If there are no eggs in the coop will she still be broody?

Also, I pulled her out and returned her to her friends. She seemed OK for about an hour then went right back in the coop.

Yes - a broody hen will brood an empty nest, a nest full of eggs, rocks, golf balls, etc. -- the presence or absence of actual, viable eggs means nothing to her when she is broody.
Even broody hens take breaks - they get of the nest 1-2 times a day or so to eat, drink, poop and stretch their legs a bit --- the fact that she went out with the others for a while is not unusual.

 

[PoPo76]

Yes - a broody hen will brood an empty nest, a nest full of eggs, rocks, golf balls, etc. -- the presence or absence of actual, viable eggs means nothing to her when she is broody.
Even broody hens take breaks - they get of the nest 1-2 times a day or so to eat, drink, poop and stretch their legs a bit --- the fact that she went out with the others for a while is not unusual.

Thanks! I've converted an old dog crate into a "Broody Breaker". I do feel bad leaving her in there but if its for the best that works for me.

 

[PoPo76]

Does this look like it will work as a broody breaker?

 

[aart]

Does this look like it will work as a broody breaker?

Yep!
Just needs food and water and maybe some shade.

 

[PoPo76]

Now I'm convinced she's crazy. 2 days in the broody breaker. I let her out and she went right back to her normal routine of sitting in the coop. It was getting late/dark so I figured I'd let her stay in the coop for the night.

This morning she's bolting back and forth through the yard squawking. Just running around really really fast yelling and sqwaking half running half flying. It's kind of funny to watch but I'm not sure if this is normal.