The Hen's Upset. I hope its not serious

[sun burn]

I can't really blame her for being upset. Yesterday I locked one of the ducks and the drake in with the chickens overnight. I am sick of not getting any duck eggs and this one has taken to hiding out somehwere. I don't know where her nest it. But as she doesn't try to stay on her nest all the time, it seems a waste to lose the eggs. There's another one doing it and has gone completely AWOL. I don't know where she is. I hope she's not starving to death somewhere. Meanwhile the other two are near home and get off their nests every afternoon for a bath and some food so they are ok.

Back to the hen. When I went in this morning, the duck was in the ground floor nest and the hen was in the top floor nest. She wasn't in her nest yesterday or the day before in the mornings when i go to unlock them. She like hte little ones is usually busting to get out. But today she is almost buried in the nesting materials.

When i went back a second time, after letting out everyone else but the two nesters, the duck had laid her egg and was off her nest but the hen was still hiding on her nest.

Now is she just in a fowl mood or has she got an impacted egg? I hope and incline towards the former but she hasn't laid an egg for a few days. i read about egg impaction recently. It sounds unpleasant. I can't see why she'd have it as she gets lots of exercise and a variety of food.

Clues anyone. Obviously i will wait a bit and see how she goes. I might have to pick her up later and see if there's an egg stuck in there but after about midday when she should have laid by then.

[permup]

Are you sure she's not clucky?

[eco4560]

Sounds like a clucky hen to me. She'll stop laying, barely eat, sit on the duck egg like it is her own, and stay there for weeks until she gets it out of her system. She'll look really daggy by the end of it. You can put her in a "broody cage" - a simple wire box were there is nothing nice to sit on to get her out of it but personally I just let the do what comes naturally. They recover really quickly once they stop being broody.

[sun burn]

She's just had a bunch of chickens. How often do they like to make chickens. Anyway i spoke to soon, she just laid an egg and now she's out and about. She seems to lay at different times of the day.

[Fernando Pessoa]

Getting hot up there now sunburn,sometimes that knocks them around.Its common for weak birds to drop dead in the heat.Have you been feeding it any avocado?It has a powerful component called persin which weakens chickens hearts and when it gets hot they drop.My opinion is that if the broody cage doesn't produce quick results you should kill it as an example to the others not to be a lazy bird.
Best Wishes Fernando.

[sun burn]

Yes it is getting hot now and i wondered if that was a problem but we do have a lots of shade. No i haven't been feeding her avocardo but thanks for the tip. She's my only hen so far so she's highly valued.