My eco solution to rat problems

[Narf]

Hi everyone,

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post about a hen that I purchased as POL, she had laid a few eggs and had then stopped for no apparent reason. She was healthy and happy throughout not laying.

I found the hen in the nesting box and I was delighted that she laid her first egg in ages. She was in the box for about four hours, so I was concerned, but the egg was a good egg, with a strong shell and was not over or under sized. Today, however, she is acting rather unwell. I cannot tempt her to eat, even her favourite things and she is sat, all fluffed up by the hedge. My hens always come when I call them, but she doesn't move now. 

Any help or thoughts? 

Many thanks.

[Beantree]

That's a very difficult one @Narf. She sounds like a serious broody, but perhaps she is unwell?  We have a youngster went broody after just a couple of eggs, so that is possible. Now she is permanently broody and we've had to re-home her (still here but a different enclosure). What are her poos like? Is she sitting on eggs?

[mullethunter]

That is pretty well impossible to diagnose because what you’re describing is the generic poorly chicken appearance. 

When was it she laid her egg?

[Narf]

Thank you @beantree  for replying.

Yesterday, before she laid, she was in the nesting box with another hen. They usually only go in there one at a time. She remained in there after the other hen had laid her egg. She did sit over all of them, but she didn't mind when I removed the eggs that the others had laid. When she had laid her own egg and left the nesting box, she sat fluffed up underneath the Eglu Cube, but it was rather warm, so I didn't think too much about it. She did an enormous poo which looked normal, apart from tiny flecks of bloody stuff in it. I put this down to not having laid an egg in a long time.

She has perked up little this afternoon, after she noticed a blackberry in the hedge and ate it all!

[Cat tails]

Is she clucking differently? Lower single clucks? That could point to her being broody.

[Narf]

To be honest, I have never heard her make any sound, other than a low cooing/ purring when I talk to her.  The others make a variety of noises.

 

[NorCalChickMama]

She may just be broody.  When chickens are broody, they will make a lot of strange sounds.  Do you have a rooster?  Do you intend to hatch chicks?  Julianna

 

[Cat tails]

This is a picture of my broody Gerda this morning. But I agree with @mullethunter, you are giving us very little to go on.
What breed is she?

[Beantree]

The enormous poo points to her being, or going, broody. Sometimes we have had broody individuals that haven't exhibited the normal behaviour, but that have just flopped down in the nest box, or anywhere else. Letting you remove the eggs is normal; broodies don't guard the eggs as such, just the space they are in. All you can do is keep moving her about so she doesn't settle in one spot. If she is broody she won't lay any more eggs.

[Luvachicken]

When mine are broody, they really do lie like a flat pancake - you really couldn't get a flatter chicken if you tried - they also growl at me and stick their feathers up.

Poorly chickens tend to to be hunched up with their tails down.

[Narf]

Well, a miraculous recovery! 

I decided to order some Harrison's Recovery Formula from Clare Taylor and some Sooper Healthy Seeds and poorly hen initially dismissed it, but then began to peck away at it. The next day, she was back to her old self, perky and wanting to eat and socialise. 

Amazing staff, I highly recommend it!

She hasn't laid anymore eggs, but I don't care as long as she is feeling well again.

[Luvachicken]

I'm glad the Harrison's formula worked for you and your chicken.

It sounds like she has made an excellent recovery.