My hens have gone stupid!

SandJmom

In the Brooder
7 Years
Oct 1, 2012
35
0
32
Okay, my 7 girls were laying so well these past couple of months. Now, they have all stopped laying, with three of them being broody. Problem with that is, they aren't even sitting on any eggs! They are just in the nesting boxes and have been for about four days. I have tried getting them out of the boxes and they just try to peck me and jump right back in. What is going on with them and how do I get them to start back laying?
 
First of all; how old are they? Some older hens will sit in nests for no reason and throw a fit when disturbed. Second; are they making strange noises? Broody hens make a different sort of noise. Thirdly; how many nests do you provide? Hens fight over nests if there aren't enough, i.e. one may be trying to lay while another keeps pushing her out. Fourthly; (if that's a word!) broodiness is contagious. If some of them are broody, the others may catch on.

Make sure they have plenty of layer feed and calcium.

Good luck with those silly girls!:)
 
As you are discovering hens do not need eggs to go broody. Sometimes it almost seems as if broodiness is contagious and several members of a flock will go broody at the same time. Lock the broody hens in a pen away from their nest site until they stop with the broody behavior. Depending upon the breed this may require a while. After a it their hormones will go back to normal and they will resume laying - only to go broody again, sadly.
 
They are about three years old. I have 7 hens and 4 nesting boxes. I will try putting them somewhere else for a few days. Maybe that will help. I had no idea they would sit with no eggs lol Thank you both for your help.
 

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