Does a Broody still lay eggs?

[tenderkat]

This is probably a silly question, and I'm sure it's been answered. But, do broody hens lay? I'm wondering if maybe Margaret is broody. I find her in the nest several times throughout the day, just sitting there. I don't think she ever lays anything. If she's not broody, I'm not sure why she does that.

 

[melloladies]

I'm pretty sure they don't- in fact- to my understanding- them laying an egg is a sign that they are "broken" of being broody.
Maybe she's just practicing and getting ready to lay?!

 

[tenderkat]

Well, she's almost 2 years old, so I'm pretty sure she's got it figured out by now She's been doing this for a long time, and I'm a bit concerned that there might be another issue going on. I'm just trying to rule out the whole broodiness issue. But, I'm guessing if everyone's Broodies continued to lay, it wouldn't be such the anoyance sometimes?

 

[NonnasBabies]

Quote:
No, broodies don't lay when they are broody!! If they hatch a clutch of eggs they will usually start laying again about 6-8 weeks after the clutch hatches!!

ETA: How is she acting that you think she might be broody??

 

[Sumatra55]

Quote:
A true "Broody" hen will not lay. Broodiness is caused by a fairly complex process involving several hormones Estrogen, Progesterone, and predominately Prolactin. Prolactin secretion is caused by stimulation of the "broody patch" on a female chicken. This stimulation starts a series of negative feedback mechanisms which leads to the regression of the ovaries due to the decease in estrogen and Progesterone. This nesting behavior is maintained by the high Prolactin levels.

 

[elmo]

Does your hen sort of hiss or growl and puff up when you approach her in the box? That's broody behavior.

On the other hand, if she's just sitting there listless and droopy, I'd begin to worry about egg binding or some other ailment.

 

[tenderkat]

No, she's not doing any kind of the broody behaviors you mention. She just kind of hangs out in the box off and on throughout the day. My girls are kept in a 17x7 ft pen, and I let them out into the yard on special occasions depending on whether or not I can sit and watch over them from predators. Yesterday, when I had all of them out in the yard , she still hung out quite a bit in the box. I found this odd, because they always get so excited when they get to range. She doesn't act listless, she seems energetic, her eyes are bright. The only thing is that all of them have been looking a bit ragged since last summer, and only a few have done a true molt. Their combs and wattles look a bit dull and dry, and they just aren't as vibrant as I think they should be. Egg production went way down in the summer, which I thought was unusual. I have seen no signs of mites, save for ONE small bug on the roost several months ago. Nothing on the chickens as far as I can tell. I will be worming them shortly, as I have yet to do that, and I think it is probably prudent to rule out internal parasites as affecting their health.

The reason I'm particularly concerned with Margaret, is that her abdomen has been bare and slightly squishy/swollen for a few months, but doesn't seem to be getting worse. Her skin is also red, looking a bit inflamed, but not broken or no sores. I've been reading about egg-binding, internal laying, and ascites, but I've been hoping that it's something simpler than those conditions. That's why I was hoping that perhaps she was just being broody

 

[goldeneggtees]

I had a broody that I swore was laying eggs, but after awhile, I figured out that another hen was going into the same nest box with her and laying her eggs in with my broody.