In nesting box 5 hours no egg-advice please

[BurlwoodChickens]

My one year old buff orpington has been in the nesting box for 5 hours and no egg it would seem. She is flexing her vent. When she came out to free range (after I, in her opinion, very rudely, picked her up to look at her vent) she was doing a lot of talking and puffed all of her feathers multiple times then would keep walking. No penguin walking, no weird squats. All of the other ladies are laying as well, they are all obsessed with the one nesting box-she was on top of 8 eggs when I picked her up today.)

I accidentally gave them some dried mealworms/crickets (turns out the bag had gotten wet) yesterday, all five girls got these treats

She is eating normally, drinking normally and still open to pats, and seems to have good energy. I got a vinyl glove and with Vaseline inserted a finger two inches and could feel no egg-so I am hoping she is not egg bound. I am worried about her though, especially with the feather puffing and laying in the nesting box so long. She has not plucked out any chest feathers.

some other facts:

-they eat kalmbach layer crumbles
-they get to free range under supervision every day
-they always have clean fresh water
-they have access to oyster shell and grit

These five ladies are my babes.

 

[neo71665]

Could be going broody

 

[BurlwoodChickens]

Could be going broody

 

[BurlwoodChickens]

Could be going broody

That is what my sister said. She wasn't aggressive with me and hasn't plucked any feathers out. Any other signs I should look for? I'm thinking I need to start clearing their eggs out every day instead of every other? There are five hens.

 

[neo71665]

Not all birds get super aggressive when broody. She could also just be in the starting stage, Early enough to break if you don't want her hatching.

I gather my eggs everyday anyway.

 

[HobbitWife]

I would agree. In my limited experience, it sounds like she's just going broody. I've also noticed that sometimes my hens will sit in the nesting box days before they start laying for the spring. It sounds like your lady has been laying though. Is that so?

 

[BurlwoodChickens]

Based on the number off eggs it has seemed like all five are regularly laying. When they are broody do they also do a lot of talking and those kind of annoyed groans?

I just went to check on her and she did a lot of talking, a feather puff, but then a happy squat for pats and love.

 

[neo71665]

It depends on the bird, sounds like the one ISA brown I've had so far go broody. She would cluck is disappointment, puff up, but still allowed me to reach under her bare handed.

 

[BurlwoodChickens]

I would agree. In my limited experience, it sounds like she's just going broody. I've also noticed that sometimes my hens will sit in the nesting box days before they start laying for the spring. It sounds like your lady has been laying though. Is that so?

My reply didn't show up yesterday-learning the site still. Yes, it seems like all five have been laying everyday for the past month.

 

[aart]

I'm thinking I need to start clearing their eggs out every day instead of every other?

Best to gather all eggs daily...regardless of a broody or not.

Any other signs I should look for?

These are my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.