Acting broody but not...?

[Sarahnl]

I have one hen in my flock that went broody a few months ago and after much effort we finally got her to shake it. Now I've noticed she's pulling out her feathers (much like she did when she was broody) around her thighs and chest. Except she's not nesting like she did when she was broody before. She interacts with the rest of the flock, and occasionally she'll just go and sit on the roost during the day. She seems cranky when she's on the roost too. It should also be noted that she hasn't laid since her previous broody spell. In fact, much to my frustration, pretty much no one in my flock of 5 are laying at this time. My main concern is that she's plucking her feathers down to bare skin and it's just now starting to get really cold! I've tried telling her how vital her feathers are to keeping her warm...but she just won't listen

Anyone have any suggestions???

 

[ChicKat]

Our chickens can make us crazy-----partly.

Broodiness is a hormonal thing. And during these shorter days, chickens are inclined to lay fewer eggs. Among the reasons is that they are active for less time, so they can eat less food, and add to that, some of the energy from the food they eat is needed to keep them warm, consequently, there is less energy for egg-laying.

One thing that I am trying is to get as much really good food in them as possible during the time that they are out and about feeding. If you can boost their regular feed with things like, say left over scrambled eggs mixed in their food/feed then you may be upping their nutrient intake.

some folks use supplemental light too. It could be that with her hormones, and with the shorter day---it will take your formerly broody hen some time to get back into laying mode. Keep talking to her and hopefully she will listen and come to her senses. In the meantime, just continue to provide the best of care, and she will probably begin laying again..... One other thing to consider is if you could possibly have internal parasites, as those can also cause a decrease in eggs.

Good luck with your hen.