My RIR stopped laying

[Chickymama0505]

hey all,
So earlier this week my RIR started sitting on her egg and other chickens eggs all day. I don’t have a rooster so they are not fertilized. I was able to get them from her and she came out of the box fine. The next day she didn’t lay any eggs and one of the other hens didn’t lay, she just hung out with the RIR. Again the RIR went into the nesting box and wanted to sit there all day. I picked her up and put her outside because I though maybe she was getting broody. When another chicken later in the day laid an egg she ran up and sat on it. I took the egg and picked her up and put her out of the box. So, long story short only one of my hens is laying eggs right now. The RIR and the other Americana isn’t. Can anyone give me any idea why both stopped laying? Is there anything I can do to help? Or just let it run it’s course? Thanks!!

 

[azygous]

Let's try to confirm you have broody hens and not sick hens. Here are the broody signs and they become more intense as a hen becomes fully broody:

-Fussy, soft, irritable clucking when another hen comes close to her.
-Look for missing feathers along the keel bone.
-When on the nest, flattens herself and hunches her neck inside her shoulders, and rapidly clucks in protest. Might even peck your hand.
-When taken off the nest, quickly runs back and plants herself on it.
-When deprived of a nest, she'll hunker on the ground and refuse to move.

 

[Chickymama0505]

Ok yes she has some of these symptoms. But has been waking around as usual all day today. And no signs of eggs from any of the girls today. So I’m really confused. Why would the others stop laying just because the RIR would possibly become broody?.

 

[azygous]

Events can be merely coincidental and not necessarily connected.

Broodiness requires a good week to develop to the stage where a hen is focused solely on nest sitting 24/7.

The other hens can be affected by this RIR. They may be getting ready to go broody also, either due to the influence of the broody or by their own egg laying time table. After a certain amount of eggs, if a hen is of a breed that hasn't had it bred out of them, their inner calendar will signal their bodies to begin producing broody hormones.

 

[Chickymama0505]

Events can be merely coincidental and not necessarily connected.

Broodiness requires a good week to develop to the stage where a hen is focused solely on nest sitting 24/7.

The other hens can be affected by this RIR. They may be getting ready to go broody also, either due to the influence of the broody or by their own egg laying time table. After a certain amount of eggs, if a hen is of a breed that hasn't had it bred out of them, their inner calendar will signal their bodies to begin producing broody hormones.

Ok so there’s really nothing I can do about it? I saw some tips I could try and do online, but there was only one day this week that she wouldn’t leave the nest, so haven’t really needed to do anything.