6 month old broody pullet?

[lilbeastpdx]

Hi All,

My 24-week-old easter egger just started laying about 2-3 weeks ago. Well, four days ago I caught her in the nesting box over night. She continued this into the day time. I've moved her out myself a few times and she starts to eat and "play" with the others in the run, but the next day, she lays her new egg and then stays there. Is this a broody pullet? She still lays 5-6 eggs a week.

Also, she seems to be losing weight--though I have a hard time telling this for sure since the other two pullets I am comparing her with are full size birds and she is part bantam.

Would a hen lose a little weight after she starts laying? Or am I just noticing her feathering changing as she becomes an adult? She seems otherwise healthy and active. But the sitting in the nesting box all day and night concerns me.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Usually a broody pullet/hen will stop laying eggs because she already has assembled a clutch and adding new eggs will result in dead embryos when she comes off the nest to care for the live chicks already hatched.

Your best bet is to weigh her and see if that changes over time. I use a kitchen gram scale.

 

[lilbeastpdx]

Usually a broody pullet/hen will stop laying eggs because she already has assembled a clutch and adding new eggs will result in dead embryos when she comes off the nest to care for the live chicks already hatched.

Your best bet is to weigh her and see if that changes over time. I use a kitchen gram scale.

Ok, so if she is sitting on the eggs all day and night, what is going on then?

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Sitting on eggs around the clock, only coming off for a half hour or so to eat, defecate and stretch, plus being cranky if you disturb her is a sign of broodiness. Are you sure the eggs added are hers? Other hens will volunteer eggs when they come off the nest.

Are the eggs fertile?
If not, you should break the broodiness.

 

[lilbeastpdx]

Sitting on eggs around the clock, only coming off for a half hour or so to eat, defecate and stretch, plus being cranky if you disturb her is a sign of broodiness. Are you sure the eggs added are hers? Other hens will volunteer eggs when they come off the nest.

Are the eggs fertile?
If not, you should break the broodiness.

Hi ChickenCanoe,

Thanks for the tips! I am sure they are her eggs as she is the only one laying (the others haven't started yet). I did have a couple fake porcelain eggs in there, which I have removed. I have no roosters, so they are not fertile. The funny bit? This is the bird that was crowing like a boy (and many folks here were convinced she was a hen-feathered cockerel, haha. The video of it is here:

) so she is throwing me some curveballs in her development. I didn't think they would go broody at 24 weeks.

Breaking her broodiness...Any ideas? I pick her up and take her out of the coop, I reintroduce her after a half hour or so to the others and she eats and walks around and defecates like normal. I also remove her eggs as she lays them.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

The tried and true method of breaking a broody is to put them in an elevated wire bottom cage with a little food and water. It only takes a couple of days of cool air reaching the bottom to break the hormone cycle.

 

[lilbeastpdx]

The tried and true method of breaking a broody is to put them in an elevated wire bottom cage with a little food and water. It only takes a couple of days of cool air reaching the bottom to break the hormone cycle.

Wow! Awesome!

I will do this. Thanks so much for the tip!