Broody but still laying eggs!

[TinaRew]

My 11mos Welbar has gone Broody! A few days ago was the first we noticed her hanging in the nesting box and not getting out - she was sitting on 3 eggs, hers abe 2 from other hens. I moved her and took the eggs and she hung outside in the run the rest of the day not going back in the nest. Next day she stayed out in the run and laid her egg on the coop floor (I’m guessing another hen was in her fav nesting box). We have cameras in the coop and run and yesterday I noticed she was just standing over her egg in the coop, so we took the egg. She then went into the nesting box, laid another egg and refused to get up again. Moved her off the egg again and took her and this time put her in a wire bottomed dog crate in the run, and in a dog crate on our porch for sleeping time - with only food and water, no nesting material.

Because she has still been laying, I’ve been worried she’ll need to lay an egg and end up egg bound if she has nowhere to lay it Being in an empty dog crate. So after spending most of yesterday and half of today in the crate, I let her out. She spent the first few hours in the run, but then back to the coop where she paced and did her constant angry squawking. She’d go in the nesting box, even laying down at times, or just look in there, not seeing any eggs and being very vocal about it!

I don’t know how to break her of this! This is our first experience with a broody girl. She’s very moody, shrieks if you pick her up right now (we hold them daily with no issue), and tries to bite/peck at us. Her chest feathers are gone and she looks like she’s constantly preening herself ever since this - especially under her wings.

If we keep her in the crate, what if she needs to lay an egg? I don’t know how to take care of this without giving her access to the nesting box. We’re removing eggs frequently now and keeping a close eye on her.

 

[AidKD]

Just curious, why wouldn't she be able to lay in the dog crate if you put some bedding in there?

 

[TinaRew]

Just curious, why wouldn't she be able to lay in the dog crate if you put some bedding in there?

I just had read not to do that because she would likely still nest and stay broody

 

[AidKD]

I just had read not to do that because she would likely still nest and stay broody

Also, just to clarify, do you not want her to be broody?

 

[Yardmom]

It won't hurt her to lay an egg in the crate even without nesting material.

 

[ChickNanny13]

IF you want to break her broodiness ... Broody Jail is the way to go but ONLY if you don't want her broody. IF she has to lay she will, even on the wire, remove the egg. Do you have a Roo or only hens?

Broody Jail is wire cage, wire bottom (I place a piece of welded wire 1x2 that fits in the wire crate), no bedding, elevated so air able to circulate, food & water. This cage can be kept in the coop (if space allows) and usually about 3 days will do it. Strictly in the BJ ... if 3 days isn't enough, stick her in again.

Some get pretty stubborn, I've had one take 5 days in BJ, she didn't end up egg bound & never laid an egg in there and it did take her a few days to start laying again once released from BJ.

 

[TinaRew]

Also, just to clarify, do you not want her to be broody?

No we don’t want her to be broody. She’s having issues with a vitamin deficiency right now we’re trying to deal with and this is making it worse.

 

[TinaRew]

IF you want to break her broodiness ... Broody Jail is the way to go but ONLY if you don't want her broody. IF she has to lay she will, even on the wire, remove the egg. Do you have a Roo or only hens?

Broody Jail is wire cage, wire bottom (I place a piece of welded wire 1x2 that fits in the wire crate), no bedding, elevated so air able to circulate, food & water. This cage can be kept in the coop (if space allows) and usually about 3 days will do it. Strictly in the BJ ... if 3 days isn't enough, stick her in again.

Some get pretty stubborn, I've had one take 5 days in BJ, she didn't end up egg bound & never laid an egg in there and it did take her a few days to start laying again once released from BJ.

Thank you! Is it really necessary to have it elevated? I’m finding she won’t lay down anyway with the wire bottom in the run.

We rehomed our roo a few months ago, so just our 3 hens now. Very small flock!

 

[rosemarythyme]

They can lay fine even in a broody breaker. Because I break so quickly after identifying that they're broody, about half the time I find the last egg in their system in the breaker.

No the cage doesn't HAVE to be elevated but it does help especially if you have a stubborn broody that won't break. It should not have any additional bedding though. Elevating allows cooler air to circulate under the hen, however I find that as long as you catch broodiness quickly and are strict with keeping them in the cage, they'll break just fine even if they're on the ground.

 

[TinaRew]

They can lay fine even in a broody breaker. Because I break so quickly after identifying that they're broody, about half the time I find the last egg in their system in the breaker.

No the cage doesn't HAVE to be elevated but it does help especially if you have a stubborn broody that won't break. It should not have any additional bedding though. Elevating allows cooler air to circulate under the hen, however I find that as long as you catch broodiness quickly and are strict with keeping them in the cage, they'll break just fine even if they're on the ground.

Thank you, thats really helpful!