Is my chicken broody

[rcockerham]

Could my hen be going broody. She hasn't started laying any eggs yet this spring, she sits in the best box every day for about 30 mins and she stays in the nest box all night.

 

[azygous]

Your hen likely is not broody. In order for the broody hormones to kick in, a hen usually needs to lay a certain amount of eggs, representing a nest of eggs she intends to hatch into chicks. That your hen has not begun to lay this season yet, after molt presumably, would indicate that broodiness is not her problem.

If she is sitting on a nest for periods at a time, she may be having a problem passing her first egg. When she's off the nest, does she mope around with her tail held down? Is she eating normally?

 

[roostersandhens]

Your hen likely is not broody. In order for the broody hormones to kick in, a hen usually needs to lay a certain amount of eggs, representing a nest of eggs she intends to hatch into chicks. That your hen has not begun to lay this season yet, after molt presumably, would indicate that broodiness is not her problem.

If she is sitting on a nest for periods at a time, she may be having a problem passing her first egg. When she's off the nest, does she mope around with her tail held down? Is she eating normally?

x2

 

[rcockerham]

She is eating fine that I have noticed. She does somewhat stay to herself when they are out of the coop. Anything I could do for her if she is having problems passing her first egg

 

[azygous]

She may be perfectly all right. Sometimes it takes days of trying to get the first egg rolling down the chute.

Look at her tail. That is the most reliable indicator that a hen is in pain. She will walk or stand around holding it down. A happy hen has an erect tail.

If you see that her tail is down all the time, and be aware they do hold it down when roosting and that's normal, it means she's sick and you need to go post on the "emergencies" forum for some help.

 

[rcockerham]

The problem is she has no tail. She is araucana

 

[azygous]

Oh, that's an interesting detail, all right!

Okay, look for these symptoms. Standing or sitting in a corner or off to the edge of the run with her beak turned to the wall. Not wanting to come off the perch in the morning when all the others have gone. Hanging around inside the coop, sitting on the floor with her beak turned to the wall. Standing on one leg, perhps with her head tucked under her wing. These are symptoms that a hen doesn't feel well and may be in pain.

The chances are pretty good that she's feeling the urge to lay and the egg just hasn't come down the chute yet. I have an EE who was the last to begin laying after molt. She spent a while each day for several days sitting in a nest. Finally, a few days ago, I found she had laid her egg. This is pretty common. Unless she has symptoms of illness, you should try not to worry.