Newbie needs help!

[4flock]

Not sure if I should be worried or if this is what broody looks like. I’ve read the term a few times in books or threads but haven’t seen it with my own eyes. Got my first flock in spring of ‘21.

I thought maybe she was backed up or had a double yolk egg that was being to stubborn to pass. My wife commented that yesterday she was in the box for the whole day. Even when it was treat time she didn’t leave the coop. (Mind you we do not watch the birds 24/7 and do not have cameras. However we can see their pen from our kitchen window so we noticed whose out and about periodically through the day.)
In the morning I went to check and the other 3 girls came out for a bit while I tidied up their pen and coop. She laid on the eggs. Finally saw her exit for some water and went to go poke around to see if the stubborn egg dropped but it was bc another chicken kicked her out, lol. So I did not have time to check again before work. Its 11pm now and I went to go check the egg situation and she scared the piss outa me when I reached in for eggs and touched her instead.
She’s cooing a bit, if that’s the right word. A throaty something kind of noise. Not a cluck. She lets me pet and stroke her. Seems puffy, like she is all stressed out.

Anyways- never seen my birds not on their shelf/roost at night. Thought maybe I should double check if someone with a bit more experience could point me in the right direction. She’s 13 months, full grown bird. Been laying since early October last year.

 

[Opiumbrella]

Shoot, okay. How long can I wait her out before I have to quarantine her?

You can get a wire cage, put it on cinder blocks so it’s off the ground, and the air flow will cool her abdomen, and throw her out of broodiness.
If she isn’t going to hatch anything best to break right away. Sitting is hard on them. And some of the die hard hens will sit themselves into malnutrition/dehydration and illness.

 

[Opiumbrella]

Wait what? Hens can hatch eggs without a rooster?

Nope sorry I missed that part. I didn’t see the “no rooster” part of the post.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You say you don't have a rooster, so you need to break her of her broodiness. Do you have a wire cage you can put her in, like a dog crate? It needs to have a wire mesh bottom, so she gets cool air on her breast and belly, to cool off. Place it on blocks for air circulation. This will take about 3 days and nights. If the weather is nice and warm you can give her a cool bath to start with, just to her breast and belly, and under her wings to cool her off.

Provide feed, water and grit, and place her in the shade where she can see her flock mates. After three days release her. If she heads straight for the nest, repeat for three more days.

Oh. You can release her during the day to poop and dust bathe, but if she goes back to the nest, put her back in the cage. You can also put a roost of some kind in the cage.

Good luck!

 

[4flock]

Is this a bantam breed? They get pretty serious about staying broody.

Not sure really. I got her from a TSC and it was just labeled Easter egger. That’s not even a breed it’s just a title I later found out.

 

[4flock]

You say you don't have a rooster, so you need to break her of her broodiness. Do you have a wire cage you can put her in, like a dog crate? It needs to have a wire mesh bottom, so she gets cool air on her breast and belly, to cool off. Place it on blocks for air circulation. This will take about 3 days and nights. If the weather is nice and warm you can give her a cool bath to start with, just to her breast and belly, and under her wings to cool her off.

Provide feed, water and grit, and place her in the shade where she can see her flock mates. After three days release her. If she heads straight for the nest, repeat for three more days.

Oh. You can release her during the day to poop and dust bathe, but if she goes back to the nest, put her back in the cage. You can also put a roost of some kind in the cage.

Good luck!

Thank you so the idea is to basically break a fever? Cool the bird down so she stops sitting.

 

[4flock]

You can get a wire cage, put it on cinder blocks so it’s off the ground, and the air flow will cool her abdomen, and throw her out of broodiness.
If she isn’t going to hatch anything best to break right away. Sitting is hard on them. And some of the die hard hens will sit themselves into malnutrition/dehydration and illness.

Thank you yes we have a dog crate we can use. She’s going to be piiiiiisssed.. 3 days then?

 

[4flock]

She lays blue eggs?

No not even. Burgundy or light brown. Sometimes there’s some deep speckles on it but nothing “rainbowy” about them. Delicious though!!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Not sure really. I got her from a TSC and it was just labeled Easter egger. That’s not even a breed it’s just a title I later found out.

That doesn't look like an EE to me. What do you guys think?

Edit: guys, not guts. Sorry.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Thank you yes we have a dog crate we can use. She’s going to be piiiiiisssed.. 3 days then?

Usually about 3 days to start with. May take longer, just depends on the hen.