Gone broody for 2nd time in a month?

[jeepgrrl]

Hi everyone,

My Barred Rock, Lacey, has gone broody for a second time in a month. Is this normal? For her first go around, I just let her ride it out. After what seemed to be over a month, Lacey began to lay again. About 2-1/2 weeks ago I brought out five 7- week old pullets (all different breeds, same with older four hens) to live permanently with Lacey and her three sisters. The four older girls (all 16 months old)had daily interactions with the five chicks (chicks either in a dog crate while hens were in hen yard or chicks free ranging in hen yard while the older three girls were free ranging on other side of fence) for at least three weeks prior to their permanent relocation. Things seemed to be going fairly well, with the usual "hen pecking" by two of the four older hens: Lacey and her sister Gemma, a Cuckoo Marans; the Welsummer and the Leghorn just ignored them. Yesterday, however, Lacey wouldn't get out of the nest box and didn't lay an egg, and i also checked her abdomen but she wasn't hot. Today she screeched at me, puffed up, and wouldn't exit the nest box. No egg, either. I'm a little concerned because Lacey's sisters picked on her the first go around, and I'm worried the chicks will pick up on this if they do it again and will dole out some retaliatory pecking - Lacey was the most bossy towards the chicks compared to Gemma. Did bringing the chicks into the hen house tweak Lacey's hormones enough to bring on the broodiness for a second time? Will this cause any problems for the chicks? I'd like to try and break her but I'm not off for vacation for another 2-1/2 weeks. I can't do it now because of my work schedule - I leave at 5 am and it wouldn't be safe to put her in the hen yard in a crate that early in ths morning (can't fit the crate in thecoop) and I can't leave her in the garage, it's waaayyy too hot. If I just let things be as they are, would this be ok?

 

[EggSighted4Life]

Sounds like a gal you will face EXCESSIVE broodyness with... makes me crazy! They WILL brood themselves to death... EVEN when you let them hatch and raise chicks they will do it back to back to back.


Put her in the crate in your bathroom or somewhere else that isn't too hot and is safe enough... improvise. To me, she likely doesn't have 2.5 weeks to wait, AGAIN.

What are you feeding?

 

[jeepgrrl]

OMG Lacey is the witch from Hades, lol! And she normally is so sweet and talks to me all the time. I just came in from my evening monitoring of the coop to make sure all the girls are inside and safe; we have owls that live in the woods on the back of our property. At dusk, Lacey decided to come out of the nesting box and was screeching and terrorizing all eight of the hens/pullets. She stood in the people doorway b*^'#! ng up a storm and blocked Chipper (the Welsummer, one of the older hens) from entering the coop; Chip only got in b/c Lacey was distracted by one of the pullets. She is one insane chicken! And to think that I thought the chick integration would be a cinch! HA! Lacey couldn't have picked a worse time!
You are right, EggSighted4Life, she can't wait 2-1/2 weeks. We do have really great neighbors who are always willing to help out in any way needed, I'm sure one of them could put the crated Lacey in the hen yard after sun up on work days. We have three Siberian Huskies so bringing a chicken into the house is a disaster waiting to happen.
For the past 2-1/2 weeks they have only had access to Start and Grow, non-medicated (b/c of the pullets) when they are in the hen yard but there is a feeder of Layena Plus omega-3 when they are outside of the hen yard free ranging (the pullets aren't let out of the hen yard yet). They free range from dawn to dusk. I give them occasional treats like blueberries, mealworms, BOSS, scratch, etc., but not on a daily basis. Is diet a potential trigger for broodiness?