[Dave B]

One of my birds (a white sussex) is unwell. She stays in her laying box all day with her wings down and feathers fluffed out.

If you take her out of the coop she feels very weak and will sit still for a couple of mins, but then perks up a little, and will have a dust bath and eat somthing, but after 20 mins wanders back into the coop and looks very sorry for herself again.

I'm a bit worried that she's not getting enough fluid, and perhaps the most humane thing to do is break her neck.

Anyone recognise these characteristics, I'm quite worried.

Thanks.

[Pep]

Hi Dave,

Welcome to the forum but sorry it's not on a happier note.

I don't know a great deal about chickens because although I've got them, we don't seem to encounter a lot of the problems you get in UK.

You may have to provide a little more information such as age, how long she's been with you, is she being bullied etc. and then, no doubt, someone will help you out but it seems a bit early to me to  consider giving her the chop.

Hope she recovers and good luck.

Pauline

[noshed]

Is she broody? (How I would know I'm not sure, all my chicken experiences are in Tescos).

[Vember]

Sounds like she's broody to me too

Has she stopped laying? Is she hording eggs the others have laid? Attacking you if you go to take them away?
rosey more than normal?

Presume during the time she's out she goes toilet? Are they solid and huge?


Sorry for all the questions 

Welcome to the Hen House by the way

Sarah

[janeheritage]

My white Sussex hybrid is solidly broody at the moment and her symptoms are almost exactly as you describe. She sits in the box all day (the other chooks have to push her out of the way when they want to lay) with her feathers ruffled and her wings down. If I lift her out she is floppy like a rag doll. When I put her down she shakes her feathers, drinks, eats corn from my hand, scratches in the dirt and preens a little - and then nips straight back into the box. 2 minutes later she has settled down again.

Could your girl be broody? I believe Sussex often are... :blink:

[Dave B]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the prompt responses, really appreciate it!

Pauline: she's only young, about a year old. I'm pretty confident she's not being bullied.

Sarah: she does seem to hord the eggs, but isn't attacking me when I come in. In fact she's quite weak to begin with, then I put her outside and she seems to get happier. She'll eat corn from my hand and preen a little, then wander back to the coop. RE her leavings; YES. They're MASSIVE.

Jane: You've just described her behaviour perfectly.

What should I do? Will it pass?

[janeheritage]

You can do one of 3 things:

(1) Try to get her to stop, so that she goes back to laying (she won't lay while she's broody). People recommend different ways for this, but they are all a bit sad, like putting ice cubes under her instead of eggs, excluding her from the nest box (didn't work with mine, she just started brooding my sweet peas  :blink:), or putting her in a box with no straw and a wire bottom so that her brood patch gets cold.

(2) Wait for her to stop naturally - might take weeks, as it takes 3 weeks to hatch eggs, but sometimes they give up sooner.

(3) Get her some hatching eggs and let her have babies. We're going this route and just got a little coop for her and her brood. But we are chicken newbies so I don't really expect to succeed - just can't resist!

Good luck whatever you decide, and don't worry about her.

[Kate and her Ducks]

I went the stopping her route and spent quite a lot of time throwing her out of the coop, locking her out, shutting her in a different place. I managed to keep it up for about 10 days.

I lost the battle of wills and she has had eggs under her for 3 weeks now. A week to go till hopefully ducklings!