Broody or Sick? How do you tell?

[AnneRaduns]

Hello fellow chicken enthusiasts - I have a pullet who started laying about 2 weeks ago. She is 20 weeks old. I can't tell if she's broody or sick. I have kicked her out of the nesting box the last couple days. She literally will spend all day in there. Hanging in the nesting box all day she seems fine (maybe a little grouchy). In the picture - she's on the left. She's an Ameracuana from Meyer hatchery. I have another pullet just like her who is not laying yet. Last night, she wanted to sleep in the nesting box but that is not a habit I want to get started so I moved her to the "chicken infirmary" (and Omlet Eglu/run that I only use when they were very little chicks). She did fine by herself and was pecking/scratching around this morning. Sometime about 10am, she went into the nesting box and she will stay there until I get home from work and kick her out. I was thinking about keeping her in the infirmary with food and water for a couple of days in case this is a broody issue. What else should I look for? I have 5 other pullets and 5 other hens. Everyone else seems fine and dandy. Any advice? Thank you in advance - Anne

 

[sourland]

Although she is quite young if all else seems normal with her, I would guess that she is broody. Locking her in the infirmary for several days should 'break' the broodiness.

 

[nuthatched]

Does she growl/scream and/or fluff up when you go to touch her? That's broody

 

[AnneRaduns]

Does she growl/scream and/or fluff up when you go to touch her? That's broody

Yes - that's exactly what she does! Like 100% spot on. And she laid yesterday, so I did not get the impression that she was egg bound.

I checked under her wings, checked her crop, made sure her vent was in good condition. I literally checked her from top to bottom. I could find nothing amiss. But the growl/scream/fluff thing was pretty scary. I was like "girlfriend - chill out". I have never dealt with broody so I had no idea. thank you so much!

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

Check her belly... If she is missing feathers, she's definitely broody.

 

[AnneRaduns]

Check her belly... If she is missing feathers, she's definitely broody.

Yes, she leaving white downy feathers in the nesting boxes. I thought she was molting. Now I'm wondering if she's not pulling them out herself.

 

[nuthatched]

Yes - that's exactly what she does! Like 100% spot on. And she laid yesterday, so I did not get the impression that she was egg bound.

I checked under her wings, checked her crop, made sure her vent was in good condition. I literally checked her from top to bottom. I could find nothing amiss. But the growl/scream/fluff thing was pretty scary. I was like "girlfriend - chill out". I have never dealt with broody so I had no idea. thank you so much!

You're welcome. She's just a bit touchy and hormonal, it will pass if you don't break her.

 

[_-Captain BRM-_]

Yes, she leaving white downy feathers in the nesting boxes. I thought she was molting. Now I'm wondering if she's not pulling them out herself.

Def pulled them, she's broody.

 

[AnneRaduns]

So yesterday, I dunked her in the pool. The water is cool but not cold (I mean, gee, I live in Florida). I was in there with her standing on the pool stairs. My husband came out to see what I was doing - and he thought I had lost my mind. I explained that the cool water on her underside hopefully would break her of the broodiness. We thought about naming her Dunkin' but then he commented about dunking her like a witch, so we named her Wiccan Chicken. Interestingly, she did enjoy her time in the pool. I put her back in the infirmary "jail cell" overnight. She was up this morning pretty agitated in her little Omlet run because she could not be with her flock-mates. I'm a softy. I admit it. So I let her out, hoping the dunking had done its magic. Nope, by 10am she's back in the nesting boxes in the coop. Please give me strength to keep her in the jail cell over the weekend.