HELP!! 1 yr old Bantam Buff Orpington

[foofpoofkazzam]

Hello, I need advice as quick as possible please. I am a new chicken lover.

I have 4 lovely ladies, all are 1 year old, free roaming during the day in my organic garden, healthy, active and laying until 2 days ago. The bantam Buff Orpington stopped laying yet sits in the nesting box for long periods of time. I have felt her tummy, doesn't seem hard but these are also my first chickens so I have no idea what I am looking for. I have taken the advice on this board and have given her 2 warm baths - but nothing. She is eating, pooping and ran around the yard with her girlfriends both days so I don't know what to think. Tonight she is tucked into the box again...poor girl.

I am willing to try anything except putting my finger in her vent- I am afraid I will do it wrong and hurt her.

Any advice please, thank you!

 

[lurky]

It sounds like she might be broody

 

[crtrlovr]

Probably just wanting to be a mommy. Broody hens will sit in the nestbox even if there's nothing there to sit on. If you want her to hatch something, get a couple of fertile eggs from someone. If you don't want any chicks, take the hen out of the nest box. Do a search for 'breaking the broody" or something like that and you should find several suggestions on how to break a hen out of her broody mood.

 

[foofpoofkazzam]

Really? That might be all it is? Do they not always lay eggs-they can stop just like that? Oh, if that is what it is I will be so relieved!

 

[sourland]

Sounds like broodiness to me also. Other signs are puffing up when you approach the nest, growling or screeching if you touch her on the nest, large obnoxious smelling feces, screeching flapping and running when she leaves the nest-come on guys give some more signs.

 

[lurky]

Quote:
Yes they do stop laying when they go broody. If you decide to give her any eggs to hatch, be sure to mark them so you can remove any other eggs she manages to collect each day, but leave the marked eggs.