Mille Fleur D'uccle: Odd Broody Behavior?

[speak1074]

Hi everyone,

My Mille Fleur D'uccle laid about 14 eggs under the leaves of the rhubarb bush. My daughter found them, with Penny sitting on them, and didn't realize what was happening. So, she moved Penny and collected the eggs. Penny is the sweetest chicken, and it's very obvious that something's up with her. Do chickens get depressed? She's not acting traditionally broody, so I'm wondering if maybe her breed just broods oddly. She spends a lot of time in the coop, goes to bed early, but not in the nesting boxes...that I have seen. She does sit up on her perch and in the last two days there are a ton of her feathers all over the coop floor. I haven't been able to locate any other eggs, but she's definitely not laying right now. Your thoughts and comments would be appreciated.

 

[Top Rooster]

Is she puffing up or making broody noises she might be just in the beginning stages of broodiness. When you said there are feathers everywhere she might be molting hens when they molt tend to be lethargic and stop laying as all their calcium goes into feathers, this might not be the case she could be sick watch her a few more days to see if she is one of those two cases if not she is sick.

 

[Dawnclucks22]

I have a millefleur mix who goes broody pretty often, but mostly in the traditional way... When she gets up to go to the coop, does she go back to her nest? She might just be refreshing herself before sitting down again, but I'm not sure.

 

[speak1074]

She just ran from me in the back yard, that's not normal... No, no noises. She actually seems quieter than normal. Isn't it early for molting?

I ordered her some fertilized eggs. We have a rooster, but he's a serama and I'm not sure he is getting the job done because he is so little. Now I'm not so sure about the eggs. How does that work, anyway? Giving a chicken eggs to hatch?

 

[Top Rooster]

You just set them under her wait 21 days she'll take care of the rest. Is she puffing?

 

[speak1074]

Puffing?

 

[Dawnclucks22]

Puffing?

If you approach her on the nest, does she fluff up all her feathers and make a clucking noise?

 

[speak1074]

If you approach her on the nest, does she fluff up all her feathers and make a clucking noise?

She isn't sitting in the nesting boxes at all that I can see... As for puffing? I don't know. She talks to me all of the time. D'uccles have a funny little chatter. She's usually pretty puffed up on her perch, but that doesn't seem different to me.