My chickens stopped laying?

[zweibucherwurm]

Hi,
I have 7 chickens (buff orpington, wyandotte, brown leghorn) who are about 1 year old. They were laying sporadically over the winter, but started up again in about February or March. They've been giving us 5 or 6 eggs a day for weeks. Suddenly this week we've gotten 0-1 every day. One of the buffs might be broody (I see her in the nest box all the time fluffed up), but the others are fine. We have 4 nest boxes and the weather has been beautiful (45*-80*). Any guesses why they've stopped laying? They do not free range. We have a run about 20x12 and there aren't eggs in it. Could the broody (?) be keeping them out? I'm using power tools to expand the run and build another coop for the baby chicks...might the noise be scaring them?
Thanks!

 

[rosemarythyme]

The broody could be upsetting things. Are you planning on having her mother your new chicks?

 

[zweibucherwurm]

My chicks are about 4 weeks old, so no, I'm not planning on having her raise them. I sure wish she had gone broody a month ago! I would most definitely have rather her do the hard work! She's only a year old, but I'm contemplating putting her with them. I've never had chicks or a broody before (I started 4 years ago with pullet red comets). Do you think she would attack them or would that be good for everyone?
One of the leghorns laid an egg yesterday and today also, but everyone else is still not laying. I'm trying to break the broodiness. Today I locked her out of the coop and put her on the roost at dusk. Anything else I should be doing?

 

[Chicks on DL]

I have broody hen now too. I have two girls that like to go broody on me. It's frustrating because spring is when they really start laying and then the brooding starts. Did you check under the broody hen? I found most of my eggs under my broody hen yesterday.

 

[zweibucherwurm]

Yes, the 1 egg the leghorn laid was under her, and the 2 golf balls we had to remind them what the nest boxes were for. I have since removed the golf balls (and the egg of course!) Maybe next spring I'll cross my fingers for a broody and get some eggs to hatch, but I already have this year's chicks...

 

[Chicks on DL]

I bought chicks at the feed store that were still fuzzy and just started some tip growth. Stuck them in the coop with the broody hen (we call her momma now) in the middle of the night. I have never seen a happier hen. She took to those babies like she hatched them. Maybe she thought she did. She was very protective of those chicks and a great mom.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Today I locked her out of the coop and put her on the roost at dusk. Anything else I should be doing?

If you're planning to break her, put her in a wire cage or some other enclosure, with food and water, and leave her in there at least 48 hours. When she stops showing signs of broodiness, you can let her out for a test period - if she returns to the nest, put her back in the cage for another day, then test again.

 

[aart]

If you're planning to break her, put her in a wire cage or some other enclosure, with food and water, and leave her in there at least 48 hours. When she stops showing signs of broodiness, you can let her out for a test period - if she returns to the nest, put her back in the cage for another day, then test again.

Yes, this^^^!

 

[BirdsBeesTrees]

You could break her or you could let her hatch some chicks and sell them for a small fee.

 

[zweibucherwurm]

I bought chicks at the feed store that were still fuzzy and just started some tip growth. Stuck them in the coop with the broody hen (we call her momma now) in the middle of the night. I have never seen a happier hen. She took to those babies like she hatched them. Maybe she thought she did. She was very protective of those chicks and a great mom.

I love it! I think my 4 week old chicks are too old for that though right?