Is my hen broody or ill - she's been brooding for 6 weeks

[daisymom]

One of our hens has been broody for about 6 weeks. i'm thinking that she might not be broody now but ill. She went broody last September but it only lasted about 3 weeks. She sits all day on the other hens' eggs and when we turn her out of the coop she goes straight back in. Her feathers are scruffy and her comb and face is really pale and her comb is cracking and droopy. She doesn't look good at all. How can we get past this broodiness, if it is brooding. And if not...what else could it be ?

She is about 12 months old now. Our other 3 hens are unaffected and still laying. We've noticed also that sitting on the eggs all day is making them smell fishy. Can anyone suggest what we can do. Thanks

[*Turbo*]

might sound cruel but what i use to do was put the hen in a churn with a couple of inches of water. Leave them for a couple of days and because they cannot sit down the broodiness goes.

 

or put her in a box/coop on the ground alone. due to the fact they have no nest to sit on the broodiness goes.

 

try something similar to that.

 

in my defence is this sounds cruel i have not owned hens for over 20 years...