Is she being broody?

[leighks]

I have a 9 month old barred Plymouth Rock. She lays 3-5 times per week. Yesterday I noticed she was in her nest box in the late afternoon(around 4pm) for at least 45 minutes while I was cleaning the coop. I had collected eggs earlier that day and the nest boxes were empty before she went in. I didn’t think too much about it until I went in the coop after dark and found she was still in the nest box. I thought maybe she just didn’t finish laying in time before it got dark and she couldn’t see to get to the roost. I picked her up and put her on the roost. She did have her egg under her in the nest box.

So today around 11am I went to collect eggs and she was back in the nest box. It’s too early for her to lay again, if she last laid en egg late yesterday afternoon. I reached under her and she there was another hen’s egg under her, and she hadn’t laid her own egg yet.

My question is is she possibly going broody, or might she just like laying in a warm, cozy nest box? It’s been bitter cold and snow all week, and the nest boxes are partially insulated and have curtains across the front, making them a little warmer than the rest of the coop.
She’s not acting sick, but I didn’t know if there could be a medical cause for this, or if it’s behavioral, or she simply liked a warmer area. I will be going back out soon to check what she’s up to, and will most likely take her out of the nest box if she’s still in it.

Any thoughts or suggestions? This just started yesterday afternoon.

 

[leighks]

I just went out there, and here’s an update: she was still in the nest box and hadn’t laid an egg (too early yet). I took her out and with some coaxing she walked around, ate a little, then was taking a dust bath as I left. She may go back into the nest box later in the afternoon if she has to lay an egg, but I will make sure she doesn’t sleep in there.

If it is broodiness, I wouldn’t think it would happen now with the little daylight and cold temps.

 

[sourland]

It sounds as if she may be going broody. Some hens just pick the darnedest times and places to do so.

 

[MillersFarm]

I just went out there, and here’s an update: she was still in the nest box and hadn’t laid an egg (too early yet). I took her out and with some coaxing she walked around, ate a little, then was taking a dust bath as I left. She may go back into the nest box later in the afternoon if she has to lay an egg, but I will make sure she doesn’t sleep in there.

If it is broodiness, I wouldn’t think it would happen now with the little daylight and cold temps.

It's very unlikely for a 9 month old pullet to go broody this time of the year, Although she does sound as if she's getting ready to brood.. What you can do is lift her and check if her chest is bare and if there are any feathers in the nesting box. A broody hen will pull out their chest feathers to warm up their eggs better. Another sign is seeing her completely flattened out like a pancake to cover up her eggs as much as possible.

 

[bobbi-j]

Here's the thing: there are no rules about chicken behavior. We humans tend to think there are, but our chickens don't all read the same books we do. Some of them just do their own thing. There are tendencies, and behaviors common to chickens, but again - they don't all follow what's considered "normal" behavior. So yes - it's possible she's showing signs of going broody. She will stop laying if she is indeed broody. If she refuses to leave the nest, gives you the stink eye when you reach under her for eggs, and is flattened out on the nest, it's very likely she's gone broody. There are a few ways you can manage her. You can let her hatch out (I wouldn't recommend it this time of year if it gets real cold where you are), you can keep taking her eggs and hope she gives up in about 3 weeks or so (about the time she'd hatch out if you let her - but there's no guarantee she'll give up then), or put her in a broody buster cage. That would be something like a wire dog crate, raised off the floor, with nothing but food and water on that wire floor to break her more quickly.

 

[leighks]

Pm update- I checked on her a few times throughout the day and she didn’t go back in the nest box since I took her out this am. Then when I went in to check on her after dark she was sleeping in the nest box again! I took her out and put her on the roost with the rest of the chickens. It’s too dark now for her to try to back to the nest box I would think. She didn’t lay today, but she did lay yesterday.

She doesn’t appear to be removing chest feathers, and there’s just 1 or 2 feathers in the nest box. She was laying kind of flat but allowed me to check under her and remove her from the nest box. She’s the low bird in the pecking order and very docile.

I don’t want her to hatch any eggs right now. We are near Buffalo, NY so it’s very cold now and will be for several months. I will keep taking eggs out daily and will try to discourage the behavior for the next day or 2. After that I may have to try a broody buster cage.

Yes chickens definitely don’t follow what the books say! hopefully this is just a quickly passing phase.

 

[MillersFarm]

I'm a sucker for broodies and would let her hatch I'm not very far away from buffalo either and i've got 60 3 week old chicks in my barn with just a couple of heat lamps and they're fine. A moma hen is very good with keeping chicks warm. If you do end up letting her brood i'd at least have a brooding box set up just in case things don't go as planned.

 

[bobbi-j]

Pm update- I checked on her a few times throughout the day and she didn’t go back in the nest box since I took her out this am. Then when I went in to check on her after dark she was sleeping in the nest box again! I took her out and put her on the roost with the rest of the chickens. It’s too dark now for her to try to back to the nest box I would think. She didn’t lay today, but she did lay yesterday.

She doesn’t appear to be removing chest feathers, and there’s just 1 or 2 feathers in the nest box. She was laying kind of flat but allowed me to check under her and remove her from the nest box. She’s the low bird in the pecking order and very docile.

I don’t want her to hatch any eggs right now. We are near Buffalo, NY so it’s very cold now and will be for several months. I will keep taking eggs out daily and will try to discourage the behavior for the next day or 2. After that I may have to try a broody buster cage.

Yes chickens definitely don’t follow what the books say! hopefully this is just a quickly passing phase.

I wouldn't let her set, either. Being the low bird in the pecking order, it could be she's being crowded off the roost. How many birds, and how long is your roost space? Chickens don't lay every single day, necessarily. Could be she took a break today.

 

[leighks]

I wouldn't let her set, either. Being the low bird in the pecking order, it could be she's being crowded off the roost. How many birds, and how long is your roost space? Chickens don't lay every single day, necessarily. Could be she took a break today.

I have 6 chickens total, the roost is a little over 6’, there is plenty of room for all and usually she isn’t at the edge but more toward the middle. But I have seen her and some of the other chickens get pecked at when getting on the roost by a more dominant bird.

I don’t plan on adding to the flock at this point, so I really don’t want her to hatch any eggs. And yes she usually takes 2 or 3 days off a week from laying, so I’m not concerned that she skipped today.

Will see what happens tomorrow...

 

[leighks]

I'm a sucker for broodies and would let her hatch I'm not very far away from buffalo either and i've got 60 3 week old chicks in my barn with just a couple of heat lamps and they're fine. A moma hen is very good with keeping chicks warm. If you do end up letting her brood i'd at least have a brooding box set up just in case things don't go as planned.

Yay a neighbor! Where are you? We are in Clarence Center.