Kathy Golla
Crowing
Hello, I have a flock of six hens in Northern California suburbs. I have the strangest situation I can’t put my finger on. I’ve done a lot of reading about broodiness on the forums. I feel like my situation doesn’t really fit the textbook broody situation.
I have an almost 6 month old Golden Laced Wyandotte who is more “sitting,” and doesn’t fit the text book broody description. She’s been laying for about 5 weeks. She comes out in the morning, roosts at night, but goes into the coop and lays one egg almost every day and has picked her breast feathers to feather the nest. I have been waiting for her to lay her egg (sometimes shes in the coop for two hours), then I chase her out of the coop. Once she’s out of the coop she stays out the rest of the day, she doesn’t go back into the coop. Once she’s out she seems fine, she is eating and drinking, although she is smaller than the other hens and eats less. She has always taken a longer time to lay, and then would come out by herself, but now I think she would stay in there as long as I would let her. This has been happening for about two weeks.
Now my Buff Orpington yesterday afternoon (same age, laying for 5 weeks)) went into a nest box in the coop and made a perfect nest for herself. This morning she was doing the same thing as the Wyandotte. Laid an egg (in the nest box she had made the nest in) but sat on the egg. When I chased her out of the coop everythings fine for the rest of the day. Same deal as the Wyandotte with her, she has always taken a while to lay. Most of the posts Ive read says they may just be “sitters” versus broody since they are still laying an egg a day and don’t seem fully committed to the broody process. Will this go in cycles? Do I leave them alone or continue to chase them out of the coop? Any advice from you experts would be much appreciated.
I have an almost 6 month old Golden Laced Wyandotte who is more “sitting,” and doesn’t fit the text book broody description. She’s been laying for about 5 weeks. She comes out in the morning, roosts at night, but goes into the coop and lays one egg almost every day and has picked her breast feathers to feather the nest. I have been waiting for her to lay her egg (sometimes shes in the coop for two hours), then I chase her out of the coop. Once she’s out of the coop she stays out the rest of the day, she doesn’t go back into the coop. Once she’s out she seems fine, she is eating and drinking, although she is smaller than the other hens and eats less. She has always taken a longer time to lay, and then would come out by herself, but now I think she would stay in there as long as I would let her. This has been happening for about two weeks.
Now my Buff Orpington yesterday afternoon (same age, laying for 5 weeks)) went into a nest box in the coop and made a perfect nest for herself. This morning she was doing the same thing as the Wyandotte. Laid an egg (in the nest box she had made the nest in) but sat on the egg. When I chased her out of the coop everythings fine for the rest of the day. Same deal as the Wyandotte with her, she has always taken a while to lay. Most of the posts Ive read says they may just be “sitters” versus broody since they are still laying an egg a day and don’t seem fully committed to the broody process. Will this go in cycles? Do I leave them alone or continue to chase them out of the coop? Any advice from you experts would be much appreciated.
