Hello!
I believe I have my first broody hen. I have four hens total, all EE hatched May of 2023. We left for 3 days over the 4th of July holiday and when we came back I noticed a large amount of small fluffy feathers in the main nesting box (it's actually a large planter they always wanted to lay in, so I moved it into the coop for them). I collected the eggs and removed the feathers, and didn't think much about it. Today all the times I went out intending to collect eggs there was a hen on them. This is very unusual and I was hoping she wasn't sick. Well, when I finally decided to get the eggs we ended up in a bit of a boxing/pecking match. I now realize she is not sick at all. My question is, should I remove the ceramic eggs as well as the real ones for the time being? Will the other hens continue to lay where they always have without them? I moved her off the plater, but since it was raining a decent amount I did not take her all the way out of the coop. I am also worried her behavior might keep the other hens from laying? Will this cause any harm to them?
I believe I have my first broody hen. I have four hens total, all EE hatched May of 2023. We left for 3 days over the 4th of July holiday and when we came back I noticed a large amount of small fluffy feathers in the main nesting box (it's actually a large planter they always wanted to lay in, so I moved it into the coop for them). I collected the eggs and removed the feathers, and didn't think much about it. Today all the times I went out intending to collect eggs there was a hen on them. This is very unusual and I was hoping she wasn't sick. Well, when I finally decided to get the eggs we ended up in a bit of a boxing/pecking match. I now realize she is not sick at all. My question is, should I remove the ceramic eggs as well as the real ones for the time being? Will the other hens continue to lay where they always have without them? I moved her off the plater, but since it was raining a decent amount I did not take her all the way out of the coop. I am also worried her behavior might keep the other hens from laying? Will this cause any harm to them?
