BROODY CHICKEN?

[carolanne557]

Hi. This is my first post to you all.

I have eighteen chickens who are about 5 months old. I was up to seventeen eggs a day and then suddenly three days ago there was only two!
One of my girls has gone broody. Could she be putting the other chickens off? They have fourteen laying boxes to choose from, but usually they all used just two of them.
I take broody out regularly but she's always back in there again. Is it worth separating her from the others?

 

[Perris]

hello @carolanne557 - welcome to BYC

Given their age I assume your girls only started laying recently; irregularity is very common in new layers, so that may be one factor. If one has gone broody yes, she could be putting the others off, so that's two potential factors at work. If you have a dog crate, elevate it off the ground and put the broody in there for a few days (with something to roost on but not big enough to nest on) to cool off (the broodiness, which is hormone driven, will switch off quicker if air can get to her underside). A third factor is the shortening days (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere not the antipodes) - most hens will slow down or stop laying as the days get shorter.

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

We just block of the nesting block and it works quickly if she’s only recently started being broody. I’ve not tried the hanging broody jail yet that @Perris was referring to, but I hear those work very well too Best of luck!

 

[carolanne557]

hello @carolanne557 - welcome to BYC

Given their age I assume your girls only started laying recently; irregularity is very common in new layers, so that may be one factor. If one has gone broody yes, she could be putting the others off, so that's two potential factors at work. If you have a dog crate, elevate it off the ground and put the broody in there for a few days (with something to roost on but not big enough to nest on) to cool off (the broodiness, which is hormone driven, will switch off quicker if air can get to her underside). A third factor is the shortening days (assuming you're in the northern hemisphere not the antipodes) - most hens will slow down or stop laying as the days get shorter.

Thankyou. I will give that a go. an yet they have only just started laying.

 

[aart]

I was up to seventeen eggs a day and then suddenly three days ago there was only two!

That's pretty steep and sudden cessation of lay.
Do you free range?

One of my girls has gone broody.

Are you positive she's broody?
Some birds are just 'loungers' and 5mo is pretty young to go broody.
Here's my go-to signs on broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

They have fourteen laying boxes to choose from, but usually they all used just two of them.

Put a fake egg in some of the nests, should 'spread the love'.

 

[aart]

Oh, and.... Welcome to BYC! @carolanne557
Where in this world are you located?
Climate, and time of year, is almost always a factor.
Please add your general geographical location to your profile.
It's easy to do, and then it's always there!