Hi, I have a very small Silky who is 26 weeks old ( so about 6.5 months) she has been laying for about 4 weeks. She seems to be broody, but I'm not 100% sure. I have ruled out everything else pretty much. I have had her in the house for the last 24 hours under watch, she's been eating and she did lay an egg but she hasnt pooped... she has all the signs of broodiness... sitting trance-like, unfriendly noises at the other birds, a few pulled out feathers under her as if feathering her nest. In the coop she has been staying in the nest box for hours. Funny thing was she layed an egg then moved to another box. Not sure what was wrong and it being pretty cold out for to be sitting in a nest box alone all nite, I brought her in. She did lay this morning and did move the egg herself from the back of the box to the center and she is sitting on it, but I dont think she has pooped since yesterday. Now Im worried about that. Three days ago she was having huge poo's. Obviously she's not egg bound, so will broodiness cause a slow up in bowel movements? And is 26 weeks to young to be broody? She only started laying 4 weeks ago. Thanks for you help~
I currently have a large fowl mutt who's broody; I don't think she's as old as 26 weeks. I suppose she is laying her clutch but setting at the same time, not the way to go about it, but she's young. Broodies usually poop once a day, one stinky biggie, called a broody poop. Bet she just hasn't gotten around to it. Your problem may be the setting while she's still laying, because they won't hatch at the same time, which means eggs will be abandoned after the first couple hatch. They're supposed to lay several, THEN start setting. No reason to keep her indoors. I'd move her to wherever you plan to let her set, or maybe take the eggs and eat them, and try to break her til she's a bit older, your choice.
