Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[simoneyers]

I have a broody hen and I have just put bricks in the nest box and am dealing with the broodiness issues. However, her feathers had some very hard almost like hardened cement in her feathers in a 10p piece lump. It came away by my having to crush it off of the feathers. The hen did not resist and was complient sitting in the nesting box. ANy ideas what this could be. It does not have a real odour as I had wondered if the other girls had pooped on her so I did a non scientific sniff test and it did not smell like poop.

 

I have forced her out of the coop be releasing her ot of the run. She had a good scratch but unlike other times when out of the coop / run she did not make a bolt for the freedom of my veggie boxes. In @ 5 mins she wanted to go into the run with the other hens whee she ate and drank. She also had a good bash at the beak clip she wears as she is the dominant girl. Then she went back into the eglu and kept going back in and out and sounded cross (bricks in nesting box). Her comb is not as red and erect as normal (but I understand this could be because of her broodiness) Her egg production has just dropped off in the last few days.

 

Does anyone know what might have been in her feathers (which are not as shiny as usual)???

 

Any help gratefully received.

[Redwing]

Where was the stuff on her body?

 

Northern Fowl mite can cause crusty lumps around the vent area and greasy looking feathers