change in behavior...

[sophee]

Hi there... I am so enjoying my five eight month old buff Orpington pullets... have been getting 4 to 5 eggs daily up 'til about 4 days ago... One of the girls has been unwilling to get off the nest... no eggs produced... I feel no egg in her belly... she doesn't appear to be ill... I've kept feed and water in front of her which seems deplete over the day (unless she's getting down and I'm not seeing that)..(I did see her out once for a short while on Wednesday so I know she's able)... and total egg production is down to 1-3 a day. The only difference is feed ... from a basic layena to a layena with omega 3 roughtly10 or 12 days ago .... I'm gonna change back tomorrow. Hopefully, that's the problem. Each of the girls appear happy and healthy, except for my broody one. (I really don't know what broody means other than huffy and puffy (puffy literally). Could it be that broody includes just sitting around as if on an egg?
Ok, tale told.... Any thoughts/suggestions.
sophee

 

[HEChicken]

Think of broody as being pregnant. Your hen does sound as though she might be broody. When a hen goes broody, all she is interested in doing is sitting on eggs until the hatch, and then she will switch to mother hen mode and start to care for her chicks. Do you have fertile eggs? A broody is hard to break of it permanently and the best way to break her of it, is to allow her to hatch. If you don't have fertile eggs available, you might be able to find some locally by advertizing on your local Craigslist.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Is she on the nest at night? That is the most telling sign that you have a broody. When a hen goes broody, they do not lay eggs. They are conserving all of their energy for sitting on eggs and raising chicks. It doesn't matter if there aren't any eggs under her, she will still sit. It's a hormonal change and it can be very difficult to break them of it. If you can get some fertile eggs for her to hatch, she will raise those babies, and when she has weaned them, she will start laying again.

 

[sophee]

thank you... sounds right... I know a chicken/goat farmer... and will get some fertilized eggs...

 

[sophee]

will she know to eat and drink... I don't see her off the nest and what I put in front of her... food/water... is little consumed?
such a novice... as if she'd be the first broody hen to die of hunger...

 

[Happy Chooks]

will she know to eat and drink... I don't see her off the nest and what I put in front of her... food/water... is little consumed?
such a novice... as if she'd be the first broody hen to die of hunger...

She will sneak off the nest to eat and drink. You may not see her do it, or you may go out to check on them and find her off the nest. They don't need that much food/water as they aren't doing anything, are not laying eggs, etc.

 

[HEChicken]

She will sneak off the nest to eat and drink. You may not see her do it, or you may go out to check on them and find her off the nest. They don't need that much food/water as they aren't doing anything, are not laying eggs, etc.

I rarely see my broody hens off the nest but I trust that they will take care of themselves and so far have never had one die from being broody

. When they are off the nest, they will run around frantically from feeder to waterer, eating and drinking as fast as they can, all the time making a distinctive clucking sound, similar to how they will talk to the chicks after they've hatched. In warm weather, they might even sneak in time for a quick dust bath before returning to the nest. I have a hen whose chick just hatched overnight last night, and as cold as it has been here while she was brooding, she was very anxious to get back to her nest while on each break, so didn't leave any time for bathing.