Broody But Laying?????

[duckking]

My 9 month old GLW seems to have gone broody. All 3 of my chickens and a couple of the ducks (don't ask) lay in the same nest box. As soon as there are eggs in there, she goes into zombie pancake mode and sits on them. She growls when I approach her, but she doesn't peck when I take the eggs out from under her. I will pick her up and put her in the yard and she will stay a zombie pancake for a minute or so, then shake herself off and forage, eat and drink. But she'll sneak back into the coop and sit again, even if there are no eggs. I'm kicking her out of the nest 3 times a day.

But she's still laying every day!!!! Will she just stop laying eventually, or is removing the eggs going to keep her laying and broody? I've read lot's of stuff on here about breaking her etc. but no one has said anything about her continuing to lay....

Any wisdom would be gratefully received!

 

[hensonly]

I may not be a huge amount of help, but I had the same situation with my eight month old. I posted the same question, and was told that if she's still laying she's not really serious about brooding. Also it sounds like you can get her off the nest for a bit without much trouble. Mine, when I took her off, would do the pancake thing, squatting on the ground where I set her. I finally started setting her on the ramp going out of the chicken house, and giving her a nudge if she hadn't moved after a minute or two. She'd go out and do her thing and come back to the nest a bit later. NOw, she's stopped laying and pecks me and growls if I touch her on the nest, but doesn't peck hard.

Another hen is also broody now, and she does mean it. When she pecks, she PECKS! The odd thing is that this second hen laid one egg two months ago, hasn't laid one since, and is broody now.


The other odd thing is that my other hens, all the same age, who were laying every day, also seem to have stopped laying. I have nine hens who were laying, giving me seven to nine eggs a day, and now I get one or two a day.

They do like to keep us guessing, don't they!?

 

[teach1rusl]

I've only had one broody hen before. She did continue laying for the first week or so of going broody, then it stopped, I think partly because she was not eating/drinking except for the once or 2x a day I'd toss her off the nest to do so... I did remove the eggs each day, because I wasn't wanting a broody. I did end up having to break her of it...

ETA - funny, it just hit me that my broody was a GLW too, and she went broody when she was pretty young, like yours...it sent her into an early molt after I finally broke her of it.

 

[azygous]

Every chicken is a unique being. Each is capable of things others may not be. There is the norm, and exceptions, in other words.

I have a broody at present, and she's very, very broody, no doubt whatsoever! On her third morning in the broody cage, she laid an egg. So yes, it happens.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Is she on the nest at night? If not, she's not fully broody yet.

I have a hen that looks like a pancake, screams, bites, puffs up and has plucked her belly clean - but she's still laying and roosting at night. She's been like this for months now.

 

[write2caroline]

She may not be full on broody yet as they do try to sit on their own eggs and I have had experience with pullets laying a hidden nest of 12 eggs before going broody and sitting on the eggs.

See - the eggs once she starts sitting on them will develope at the same time otherwise - they would be hatching daily for days which would be really hard on a mother - can you imagine caring for a newborn and a bunch of toddlers all at the same time - well some people can but it would have been too much for me. By design a hen will lay a bunch of eggs and then she goes broody and sits on them and they all hatch at the same time. That way she can care for them together and teach them all at the same time.


Caroline

 

[duckking]

Quote:
I haven't checked at night. She used to sit on one of RIR's on the roost. All of a sudden Jean's little head would pop out from underneath her. All I know is that she was sitting in the nest this morning when I opened the door to let them out, no eggs under her. She came out while I was doing my chores and ate and drank and hadn't gone back in once I had finished.

Is it possible to break her if I close the door to the coop after everyone has laid? They are never in there during the day anyway, except to lay.

 

[BANTAMWYANDOTTE]

Most egg-type breeds are known to do this. My Production Red hen did the same thing. However, since these breeds have a genetic predisposition to not go broody, this stops after some time. But you say she is a GLW? That is odd, because they are known to be good brooders. I would say let it run it's course or continue trying to stop her. Are you 100% sure that she is laying? This is very strange.....

 

[duckking]

She is absolutely laying. She has a very distinct elongated, light brown egg. The others lay more rounded darker brown eggs. In fact, she was the only one who even laid today! I am so confused......

 

[bjw113]

I currently have 3 broodies and NO rooster.. Should I take them outside and try to break their pattern? I have figured nature would take its course and they would eventually stop... any ideas?