Broody banty

[Naughty]

Okay - maybe ya'll can shed some light on this one!

My lil banty hen decided to try to hatch the golf balls that were in the nest box. She has been laying pretty regularly - but she is bad about hiding to lay them. Usually it will be about 3 days before I find her batch of eggs... always in a new spot.. She tried to set on the golf balls - and got really upset that I moved them. I'd love her to hatch chicks - but not until spring when it's warmer here!

Now I haven't found an egg for 3 weeks from her - but she's not broody either. She seems to be healthy. She's my only lil girl - my other hens are bigger breeds. I thought maybe they werent letting her in the next box - but I have 2-3 nexting areas - and only 5 hens so that shouldnt be a problem. Does anyone know if bantams just stop in winter? I did recently get 2 new older hens who seem to have been accepted - but wonder if this has upset her?

Not a big deal - as long as she's fairly happy - the eggs are small and not worth much to me anyways. I have money on it that she will eventually hatch some chicks - although I hope to sneak some bigger breed eggs under her if she goes broody. I really don't want more lil bitty girls.

 

[Luke0987654321]

hi,
all of my bantams stop laying in the winter,
have you checked that she isn't molting?
next time she goes broody, i would let her hatch them,
all of my broodies have their last broody spell around now
and the chicks are fine and are laying by spring,

good luck


luke.

 

[chicmom]

Oh, hello! I do think she could be upset by the new gals, or maybe it's just that the winter months are approaching and there's less daylight hours. Or maybe a little bit of both.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

It could be that she's working on a clutch in a new hidden spot and maybe something is stealing the eggs out of it before she reaches her Magic Number. Or it could be that she's taking a break for the season.

I've got a lot of mixed-breed bantams that go broody for me, they've incubated standard-sized chicken eggs, duck eggs, even goose eggs. I wait until it's apparant that they're ready to set, then move them to private quarters. I'll give them a day or two to prove they'll stay setting in this new location, and then I'll swap out their banty eggs for others I want her to set.

 

[Naughty]

I'm don't think she's molting. It is possible that she may be trying to set somewhere - and something is getting them. I do have a little dog that runs in my yARD - he doesnt mess with the eggs in teh coop - but if she lays it out side - he could be getting them.

I'd love her to go broody - but hate to have her hatch em right now - they'd be hatched in the middle of some cold weather here - i dont even want to worry about keeping the coop warm enough for chicks. Maybe she is just resting up for the winter.

I hate trying to psycho-analyze a chicken! For something with such a small brain to stump me - is embarrassing.