Broody hen and the rest of the flock.

[stm_96]

I have a broody hen sitting on some eggs, has been for 4 days but is it normal for the rest of the hens to stop laying when another hen goes broody? They were all laying everyday or every other day right up until my one hen went broody. I know its winter time but i live in SE GA where winters aren't really cold. We have a few chilly days but then we have temps in the high 60's-70. This that normal?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Laying is dictated by light not temperature.

Have you checked your broody's nest... ladies like to add deposits and get their eggs incubated work free.

Broody is totally contagious and can throw your flock off, especially if she is hogging a favorite lay box. Maybe look for hidden nest?

What are their ages? possible they are just entering molt?

Good luck!

 

[PirateGirl]

Is your broody occupying the favorite nest box?
When one of my girls went broody and took over the favorite box I found eggs from the other girls in all sorts of random places. They really didn't know what to do with themselves if they couldn't lay in the favorite box.

 

[stm_96]

She is in the favorite box! I check her every day for new eggs and she still only has hers. And I'm not 100% sure of their ages, i got them from a family member who didn't keep track. I'd say about 9 months? I have 8 hens and i thought it was so crazy that once she became broody, the rest stopped laying with her! But it could be like you said, they could be laying somewhere else, its just gonna be a pain to find them lol they are free range.

 

[aart]

Might want to put broody in her own nest behind some wire in the coop...
....so the other birds can use the nests.

 

[sourland]

I think that it is time for an egg hunt.

 

[PouleChick]

Good luck finding your eggs!

 

[stm_96]

Will it break her broodiness if i move her? I'm getting a grow out/broody coop in the next few days.

 

[aart]

Will it break her broodiness if i move her? I'm getting a grow out/broody coop in the next few days.

It might....I usually move them before giving them fresh fertile eggs, they may get upset but if are really broody will settle back in within less than a day. If you're going to move those eggs with her, do it well after dark and try to move same bedding too.

 

[rebrascora]

Be aware that if you move a broody, she will automatically return to her old nest after a broody break unless she is confined to the new nest area. She is homed to the location of the old nest site rather than the eggs, so after you move her, the first few times she gets off the new nest for a broody break, she will forget/not realise that she has been relocated and will make a beeline for the old nest once she has eaten, pooped, dust bathed etc and settle on it even if there are no eggs there, leaving her eggs in the new nest to get cold.
To prevent this happening, fasten her in and either ensure that she has everything she needs within her enclosure or is she just has a nest, open it up for her to get off whilst you do chores and then guide her back to the new nest site when she is ready to return to her eggs or let her settle in the old nest and then move her back and fasten her in. After a few days, they normally learn to home in to the new site, but it is best to supervise. I do this whilst I am doing my chicken chores and then I know she is safely on her eggs when I leave until the next day.