Molting/Broody at the same time

[FC16]

What’s everyone’s experiences like with a molting hen going broody?
To me it seems like a bad idea with stress levels and everything for the hen.
I have an Orpington (partridge) that’s starting to go broody (not consistently staying on the nest yet but showing the usuals puffed out feathers, screeching, and doing the ‘broody cluck’).
For the past month or so she’s been molting and has lost a few feathers round her head and tail and a few on her back. Nothing too major.
As I said she’s now starting to go broody, I’m thinking I’ll probably break her, but I’m genuinely curious as I’ve never had this before where they’ve molted and gone broody at the same time. Can they still successfully brood whilst molting?

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'd break here because that is just not right. She has been molting a month which should mean she has not been laying eggs, yet she is going broody? Typically when they go broody they are laying up until they go broody so they have fresh eggs to hatch. When they molt they stop laying and use the nutrients that were making eggs to make feathers. When they are broody they stop eating or drinking more than once a day and depend on stored fat to live on so they can stay on the nest and take care of the eggs instead of going out looking for food and water. They should not use that stored fat to make feathers. Nothing about this sounds right.

Are you sure she is molting? Did she stop laying? I'd check her for mites and lice.

One time I did have a hen that went broody fairly late in the summer and hatched out a bunch of chicks. She molted while she was raising them, not when she was incubating them. I did not have a problem with that since she was off of the nest and eating. She actually finished the molt by the time the other hens were starting to molt so she laid all through fall and winter.

 

[FC16]

I'd break here because that is just not right. She has been molting a month which should mean she has not been laying eggs, yet she is going broody? Typically when they go broody they are laying up until they go broody so they have fresh eggs to hatch. When they molt they stop laying and use the nutrients that were making eggs to make feathers. When they are broody they stop eating or drinking more than once a day and depend on stored fat to live on so they can stay on the nest and take care of the eggs instead of going out looking for food and water. They should not use that stored fat to make feathers. Nothing about this sounds right.

Are you sure she is molting? Did she stop laying? I'd check her for mites and lice.

One time I did have a hen that went broody fairly late in the summer and hatched out a bunch of chicks. She molted while she was raising them, not when she was incubating them. I did not have a problem with that since she was off of the nest and eating. She actually finished the molt by the time the other hens were starting to molt so she laid all through fall and winter.

I forgot to mention this. This is where it gets confusing, she’s still laying eggs - not many, but she’s laying. I know for sure as I have 6 hens and there have been a few days in the last couple weeks I’ve gotten 6 eggs.
I’ve checked her for lice or mites multiple times and no sign of any. I’m also quite certain she is molting. Very confusing.
I’ve attached some photos of the hen.

 

[FC16]

She’s now sitting on eggs, I won’t class her as broody until she’s been on for a few days.
I’m slightly torn, if any of my others went broody right now now I’d give them eggs. But because she’s molting I’m not sure about it… Has anyone had a molting hen go broody?

 

[21hens-incharge]

It really looks more like she is getting beat up by the others or it's rooster damage to me.
She may be hiding in the nest and not broody at all.

 

[FC16]

It really looks more like she is getting beat up by the others or it's rooster damage to me.
She may be hiding in the nest and not broody at all.

I did think that at first, but I’ve never seen her being picked on before (and we don’t have a rooster) so i have been watching closely and still no signs of bullying. I can’t rule it out obviously as you never know what happens when you’re not around.
This whole thing is just baffling me, I’ve never seen this before, she’s now staying in the nest although sitting on nothing as I’ve removed the eggs.

 

[emjones]

Is there any update on your broody and molting hen? I believe I have the same thing happening now with a buff Orpington. She's been sitting on the nest box for a couple of weeks now, and I boot her out 2x daily so she'll eat and drink. She's got a bald spot growing on her neck. No rooster here, so no point in sitting on the eggs. I was going to try the hanging dog crate this weekend, because I don't want her stressed and not eating/drinking, especially for no good reason! Anyway, just wondering how things worked out for you?

 

[FC16]

Is there any update on your broody and molting hen? I believe I have the same thing happening now with a buff Orpington. She's been sitting on the nest box for a couple of weeks now, and I boot her out 2x daily so she'll eat and drink. She's got a bald spot growing on her neck. No rooster here, so no point in sitting on the eggs. I was going to try the hanging dog crate this weekend, because I don't want her stressed and not eating/drinking, especially for no good reason! Anyway, just wondering how things worked out for you?

Hi, I never actually got to the bottom of why she was so bald and had lost so many feathers. But she definitely lost a lot more whilst she was broody. A lot around her head, tail and vent.
In the end I decided against giving her eggs as I thought it would be too much for her and could be dangerous, to be honest now I think that she could definitely have successfully hatched some eggs.
For the first week or so I just left her as I was confused, then I started to try and break her. I tried multiple methods including the dog crate method but nothing would break her. By the time I accepted she couldn’t be broken, it was too late to give her eggs as that would add another 21+ days on top of the 2 weeks she’d already been broody.
In the end she was broody for around 23/24 and is now back to normal, although she’s still very bald her comb is nice and red again.

I would say it’s possible for your hen to do it but just make sure to check her for mites or anything first, and if you go through with it just check she’s definitely eating and drinking daily.