is it possible for a hen only 61/2 months old ?

[Richard]

I have 13 pullets that have started laying about 1 and 1/2 months ago I finally started getting 13 eggs per day last week on tuesday it dropped back to 12 per day and one of my pullets stays on the nest all day and night . I have to take her off to make sure she eats( And she really raises hell when I do this) then 5 mins later she is right back on the nest again. I have 4 nest for the 13 pullets and all the nest are being layed in so some of the other hens go into this nest and lay thier eggs on top of this pullet.I dont think she is laying anymore..Could she be broody at this young age ?
Is there anything else I should be checking her for?Should I just leave her alone and let her get thru this on her own ? Oh I forgot to mention she is a white rock pullet

 

[hinkjc]

Yup, she is probably broody. Does she puff up and growl when you go towards her? Some will even bite, while others just purr. But most try to make themselves look really puffy when they're broody.

I had a buff orp this year in her first lay cycle, gave 2 eggs and went broody for the rest of summer.

Good luck. The stubborn ones are tough to break.

Jody

 

[lauralou]

Sounds broody to me, too. I have one about the same age, also a buff orp, who is trying to be broody too. So it can definitely happen.

You may want to try and break her of it. Some broodies are more determined than others. It has taken me up to 2 weeks before. And what a pain!

Some things to try:

Remove golf balls or fake eggs from nest.
Try to promptly remove any eggs laid in her nest.
Put a ziploc baggy full of ice cubes under her.
Throw her out of the nest repeatedly and order her to act like a good chicken.
If possible, block all nest boxes at night, and make her sleep on the roost.

Best solution I've found: Build a Broody Jail, a wire cage with a roost, and park her grumpy butt in it. I know, it sounds awful, and I never thought I'd actually do it. But I did, and I'm glad. I have a broody hen incarcerated right now.

 

[Richard]

well we never used any golf balls or fake eggs in the nest and have always removed the eggs promptly. So I will start closing the nest tomorrow night and I guess work my way up from there . Thank you both for all your help

 

[Hiedi]

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I am going to print this out for future reference.

 

[cjeanean]

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[cmom]

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I am going to print this out for future reference.

I agree.
I had one that wanted to stay in the nest day & night, and wasn't laying eggs while she was laying in there. I kept pushing her out and she got snotty with me, so I had to block the nest boxes off. I put milk crates in the nest boxes so she couldn't lay in them at night. I put bricks in the nest boxes during the day believe it or not the girls would go in the nests even though they had bricks in them and lay their eggs and back out. I guess that when they had to lay, they had to lay their eggs. The one that wanted to stay in the nests didn't go in with the bricks in them.

 

[newchickenfamily]

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[Jessika]

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I gotta make me one of those there broody jails!

 

[onthespot]

I would like a new broody sent to me each week. I will gladly return her in a month, older and wiser.