It's a rather long story, but Precious is a house chicken.
She is half Belgian bantam and half Silkie bantam.
She is approx. 1.5 years old now, has been broody before, and has laid many eggs.
She went broody, but I had been collecting all the eggs, so she was brooding an empty nest.
She had such dedication in staying in the nest, and wouldn't even come out to eat. I had to bring
food and water to her.
She would just sit there, puff up her feathers, act like she was turning an egg, and settle down in
the nest. Meanwhile she was becoming more and more lathargic, and acting rather odd.
So far, she had been sitting on the nest a little over 2 months.
When I would go to bed for the night, I would talk to her for a few minutes. She seemed to perk up
a little and would grab parts of my arm and would try to wrap it around the base of her nest.
I happened to find an egg that I thought might be fertile. I wasn't sure what she might do to it, but I
showed it to her, and sat it down. She became almost giddy. She started cooing and pulling out her
breast feathers. She puffed way up, tucked the egg underneath her, and settled down on the nest.
Now, she clucks a bit to let me know that she's getting up to go eat and what-not. Then she clucks
a bit to let me know that she has returned to the nest.
My question is: Would that be considered depression? If so, she seemed to snap out of it after I
I gave her the egg.
If the egg does hatch, I'm sure she'll be a good momma; But if the egg doesn't hatch, what might I
expect?

A little bit about Precious
http://www.geocities.com/chooks_r_us/precious/precious.html

LJ. A chicken may be described as being "depressed" when they are ailing, ei, trying to pass a soft shelled egg, or suffering from overload of worms-other illness-that weakens them and their inactivity or depression is their way of attempting to regain strength or healing.

I beleive she is still just broody. Her temperature drops while she is setting and it might be described as a kind of slight hibernation, as the system slows down for the 21 days of usual incubation. Some hens just don't resume activity, whether or not they have eggs hatching, for a longer time. Then most people will "break" the broody, by isolating her--removing nest or any possibilty of "nesting". She will become active again, her temp will rise to normal and she will get ready to lay another clutch of eggs.

You must be sure your little Precious DOES eat and drink AND relieve herself regularly. She will doubtless have lost weight during her 2 mos setting and now may have 3 more weeks of inactivity. Is there any possibilty of giving her 2 or 3 fertile eggs--if this one doesn't hatch, she is doomed for a longer time out of activity, which cannot be a bit healthful.

If she were mine, I would candle that egg and be sure it is developing. If not, you have a choice of giving her fertile eggs OR removing her from the nest, remove the nest box and get her strength back for later production! She is at risk for mites or lice, so be sure to check her (specks on the egg would be the clue). If mites invade, she could be too weak to survive--it is important! Best of luck--and I do hope she gets to hatch a baby or babies!! CJR

I have had good luck buying tiny chicks & placing them under a broody hen at sundown. By morning hen thinks her eggs hatched. She usually stays put for a day or so, then starts traveling with "her" babies. Good Idea to put some chick mash & shallow water nearby. Curle

I have 4 more, possibly fertile, eggs in an incubator. Since they are not bantam eggs, I don't think she could set on more than 1. I always offer her food and water, and put it within reach from her nest, just incase she doesn't get up or just wants a bit extra. She is a most unusual hen. She lives in the house with me, sleeps and nests on my bed, and freaks out when I even attempt to take her outside. I know you can't housebreak a chicken, but she seems to only do her business on a folded up newspaper I have on the bathroom floor. Should I add some kind of vitamins or bio-stress powder in her water? Thanks for the advise, CJR & Curlee. =o)

Well, the egg Precious is sitting on didn't hatch. Hopefully one of the eggs that I have in the incubator will hatch.

Which would be better.

To put the newly hatched chick under her, or to put a hatching egg under her?

Update
One of the eggs in the incubator is hatching.
There's a small hole in the shell, and some small cracking around it. I can also hear chirping noises.
I'm so excited!
When the chick is full grown, it will be almost 3 times the size of Precious. It is a Golden Comet-RI Red cross.
I hope all goes well, as this is her last chance to be a momma.

LJ, Is Precious still sitting on her egg?, If so, you have your choice, to place the hatching egg under her to finish,. and she will learn the voice and will give her more time to believe it is her own. Or, after the chick hatches and is dry, you can tuck it under her--at night. You must watch her carefully, though. We think they are so anxious for their chicks, but sometimes they like their eggs better than a chick and get confused and are unkind to their chick. Will there be another chick or two in the incubator? A single chick is not nearly as easy to raise as several, which is a more normal hatch. It usually is an easy transition, but do keep your eye on the production! Good luck. CJR

Yes, Precious is still sitting on the egg.
There are 3 more eggs in the incubator. 1 that should have hatched yesterday, and 2 that should hatch on Sunday.
I noticed that the hatching chick has broken through the side of the egg, and is coming out feet first.
I find this odd as that is how Precious hatched; And I always thought chickens were supposed to break out through the smaller end, and come out head first.

LJ. That chick may need help FAST to hatch, as the air is at the other end. You can chip the egg shell all around beyond where the feet are emerging, and then let the chick push the top off and what a scrawny, wet little thing it is until the fluff has dried and it gets on its feet. You may have to tear the membrane, if it has dried. If it is moist and any bleeding, fold the membrane back tight on the shell and it will stop bleeding. No, they usually come out the wide, round end, but head first. A random number of chicks will be "breech" hatch and may need help. Good luck with those chicks. Hope you have several to slip under Precious. She won't stay on the nest very long, if you give her the first chick, as she knows the chick will want to eat and drink--the rest of the eggs are just stones to her when she has a talking chick! But where she broods her baby, you can easily slip additional chicks under her--at night--for a short time after the first one. Hens can't count, but they do learn their own chicks--some care about that--some will mother any chick or kitten or ? It's exciting. CJR

The egg that she was setting on never hatched.
On 24 Apr 02, one of the eggs in the incubator started to hatch.
I showed it to her, but she started to peck at the hole that was in it, and made it bleed; So, I immediately took it away from her and put it back in the incubator.
The chick inside the egg is starting to chirp alot, so I held it in my hand, and held it up to her so she could get used to the chirping sounds.
I did this a few times. Each time she would peck at my hand.
This really worried me.
On 25 Apr 02, the chick had fully hatched.
I was ready to go to bed, so I thought, "It's now or never!".
I held the chick up to her fluff feathers, and it rolled underneath her.
Her hackle feathers stood straight up. Most likely from not being used to movement underneath of her.
I got in bed, and turned out the light.
I said to her, "I know you'll be a good momma."; Then went to sleep.
I woke up in the morning (26 Apr 02), half expecting to find a dead baby chick. But then I heard chirping sounds eminating from the nest.
She has become very protective of the little chick.
Each time I go up to the nest to take a peek, she'll push the chick underneath herself, and puff way up.
Although I keep reassuring her that I won't hurt her or her baby, I can understand her want and need to protect her baby.
This afternoon I tried to take a couple pictures of Precious and her baby, but she kept attacking the camera. *L*
Hopefully I was able to get at least 1 clear picture.
I did end up having to take the complete shell off the chick. I did, however, leave just a bit of the membrane on the chick, as it was attached to the umbillicous. I took that bit off when it had totally dried and shriveled up.