Broody?

[MissNiss]

HI! I have a black Australorp who is 8 months old, she has been laying almost everyday for close to 2 months now. She is top pecking order. I have 4 birds total, all laying almost daily. The last couple days, she has been in the nest all day and all night last night. So today, I pulled her out and she had been sitting on my leghorn egg. I checked her out, looks like she plucked her chest feathers. No egg from her for 3 days. She is all puffed out and very vocal, laying on the ground. I threw scratch out for everyone and she keeps puffing up when I come close. Advice? Is this broodiness?

 

[Rickba]

Mark 1 egg with a magic marker and let her have it. If you have a rooster and it's fertile you'll have a chick, if not fertile she will realize it and abandon it.

 

[MissNiss]

Mark 1 egg with a magic marker and let her have it. If you have a rooster and it's fertile you'll have a chick, if not fertile she will realize it and abandon it.

NO rooster here!

 

[George McLaughlin Jr.]

She's broody. I'd just take the egg. You can get her out of being broody if you put her in a cage with no solid bottom, only wire. Keep her in there a couple of days and she'll stop. This is called breaking up a hen. She won't lay eggs for at least a couple of weeks. But this cuts down on how long she'll be out of production.

If you chose to hatch eggs under her, you'd want to separate the other hens from her. Moving her probably wouldn't work. A lot of hens will stop being broody, just by being moved.

 

[MissNiss]

I took the egg. She went back into the box after having some treats. I'll be heading out to pick up a metal crate, thanks guys!