Bare Chested Partridge Rock = Broody?

[Schwartzfarmnc]

Okay, 1 of our PR's has lost most of her feathers around the chest area and Yes she has been laying in the nest box more and more so I guess she has become broody right? I don't have a rooster so no peeps, and I'll try and break her with ideas from others on here, but how long now will she have no feathers and will she stop laying for a period of time if I can break her quickly? We're in the moutains of NC and have already had our first snow, so it's getting pretty cold for a bare chested PR

 

[SilkieBantams]

Try to get some fertile eggs and put them underneath her as she wants to be a mama

 

[Uzuri]

How old is she? It's possible that she's just in molt this time of the year; they tend to go a bit bare along the keel.

Generally, when they're broody, you'll know it. They camp in the nest box, and they're grouchy as all get out. They even growl.

 

[Schwartzfarmnc]

Quote:
She is 33 weeks old today. She's been laying in the box at night but I take her out and put her with the others on the roost, and she was in the box this morning and yes she does growl and puffs up some when you mess with her, reason I thought broody is because @33 weeks they shouldn't be molting right?

If it were not this time of year, I'd probably get her some eggs but it's bitter cold at night now and I can't see her trying to raise peeps in this time of year. How long before she spurts new feathers?

 

[Uzuri]

The growl gives it away -- that's broody

She's probably not feeling too much of a breeze in that featherless area since it seems like the side feathers tend to close up around the bare area when they stand. If you don't want to hatch, you might try breaking her; the soon she breaks, the sooner she'll get new feathers (or, rather, the sooner she'll stop pulling out existing ones and give 'em a chance to grow). Pitch her out of the box every time you see her in there, that's been generally effective for me, especially if you take her all the way outside.

I've had them do a full molt in their first year, but this doesn't sound like that.

 

[Schwartzfarmnc]

Quote:
I thought she might be broody, since my thoughts were correct we have taken the fake eggs out of the box too and she has lost some interest in sitting on nothing, and we take all the other eggs out once her sisters lay, but she is losing more feathers, so I take it may be some time before she stops pulling out feathers and let's them grow back huh? We were going to try the ice pack thing but each time we went out to do it, she would hop down and run outside, so maybe she get's the hint!

 

[nanawendy]

I had an old chicken guy tell me that struggling to break a broody is stressful on the bird. He suggested I just keep taking the eggs out from under her, several times a day( as she goes from nest to nest, getting on the freshly layed eggs) I take her off to get food, drink and exercise a couple times a day. They eventually get it !