Chicken nesting - rejected by others

[jujubear]

I have 3 chickens that I let roam the yard. They recently reached egg laying age and I was getting 2 eggs a day. Maybe about 2 months after they started laying eggs one chicken decided to start sitting on the nest, but there wasn't any eggs under her. The next day another chicken squeezed on the nest with her and laid an egg. She accepted it as her own, but I took it away.

-- By the way, the don't have official nest boxes, but had made one to share out of the hay stack next to my back door. --

Now, the next day no eggs were laid. Another day, still no eggs. I went out and found a nest hidden behind a cage and started collecting the eggs there. I ended up giving the chicken, who wouldn't leave the nest, an egg to sit on. A couple of weeks later. I took it away hoping she would leave the nest, but she's not leaving it. When she does get up to eat and drink, once a day, the other 2 chickens peck at her and chase her. Her comb is not as red as the others now. All of these chickens used to get along.

So, since I don't know anything about chickens I was hoping you guys could tell me what is going on!?!?!

Also, I'm only getting 1 egg a day. So, out of the 2 chickens that aren't sitting on the nest only one is laying an egg.

Has anyone ever experienced a non-laying hen? What do you do about it? Besides the obvious.

Lord Bless,
Julie

 

[jujubear]

Trying to post a picture of my Pertty Gerties.

 

[8littlechickens]

I don't have any help to offer - I just came post the same question - so I'm hoping for some wisdom as well! Our Welsummer turned broody at the end of last week and now (this started a couple days after she turned broody) when I boot her off the nest a couple times a day the other girls peck at her and she puffs out her feathers at them. Is this normal? Anything I need to do, or will they sort it out themselves/not really do any damage? Will they go back to normal once she's done being broody, or is she now the hen to be picked on?

 

[teach1rusl]

Your hen is broody. It's a hormonal thing that she cannot help; she's trying to hatch chicks. If she's in full broody mode, she will continue sitting on the nest, whether there's an egg there or not. Does she "growl" at you when you try to take her eggs? Does she kind of puff herself up??
If you're not wanting chicks (some buy fertilized eggs and place them under broodys), you can try to break her of her broodiness. Some have had success with keeping the hen in a wire pen/dog kennel for a few days, elevated up on blocks or something so that air can circulate around her. Put nothing but food and water in there, no bedding. Of course cover it on top to keep her safe from the elements.
When my GLW went broody, I let her sit for 21 days (on nothing), and then kept her out of the coop for two days, except at night when I would place her on the roost. She was back to normal after that.
Your hen will not lay eggs while she is broody after the first few days. So if you need eggs, you may want to try breaking her. She and the others will go back to normal once the broody period is over.

 

[jujubear]

Well, that's a relief. Yes she growls whenever she sees me and sounds like what the velocirapter's sound like in the movies.

Have you ever dealt with a hen that never laid an egg?

Lord Bless,
Julie

 

[teach1rusl]

I'm not sure that I've even heard of anyone having a hen that NEVER laid. Now some have had laying issues (egg bound or internal layers). What breed are your hens? Some breeds are known to lay quite a few eggs, while others are known to only lay and egg or two a week. I'll have to dig up one of those charts... Your hen should lay again a week or two after she quits nesting.

ETA: http://www.ithaca.edu/staff/jhenderson/chooks/chooks.html

 

[jujubear]

They are Rhode Island Reds.

Thank you,
Julie