my chicken has a naked chest

[19Dawn76]

She has been on her eggs for 2 weeks now. Is this normal? She looks terrible.

 

[rancher hicks]

It's elementary Watson. She's plucked all her feather to keep her eggs warm.

 

[19Dawn76]

AWWW!! Thats sweet in a weird way. Thanks. I never noticed my Bantys doing that. Maybe I wasn't paying as close attention.

 

[Eggs-Actly]

In my limited experience I would say she's gone broody. I have one that is going thru it right now too. I do not have a "broody" cage so I've been looking at other alternatives. Every time I go by the coop I pick her up out of the nesting box and put her outside the run and coop for a few minutes of "free" time. She immmediately starts scratching and eating whatever she can find. Then when I'm ready to go back in the house I open the door to the run and in she goes. Then she stays outside with the other girls for up to 3 hours before heading back into the nesting box. Each time I take her out she stays away from the nesting box just a little longer than the last time I took her out. I haven't figured out who's being trained though - her or me? hmm?

 

[19Dawn76]

Popcorn is sitting on 4 eggs my neighbor gave me/ They are white so I know if my other chickens sneak up and lay an egg in her nest while she is out eating.

When they hatch I don't know if I will put them in a brooder with her or by themselves. I would hate for her to kill them. I can't let them free range with the rest of the flock cause I have cats and am sure the little chicks would be 2 much of a temptation.

 

[danielbrown]

I've let ma hen with chicks free range before. The ma hen would attack the cats if they got too close. The cats are now scared of the baby chicks too.