OK--many questios all at once

[old geezer]

...here we go---lucy my little red hen , about 1 yr old , 2 weeks ago i noticed a few feathers missing from her breast , just a few ,,,this morning she was 2nd out the coop , and i am pretty sure it was her that she had put a chicken turd about the size of a torpedo at the base of the ramp---she was alway very friendly and cuddly like my suzy , but now she is constantly squatting for me to pet and stroke her back , also weird---when the other hens lay , she goes in the coop with them , then comes out doing the egg song
so here are the questions 1... getting ready to lay ?
2...also going broody ?
3...if broody , can i get some fertiilized eggs from farmer down the road and let her set on them ,
would this be wise as it it almost november and i am in up-state ny ,just soutth of saratoga ?

 

[Kschut669]

If i had a guess I would say Defiantly Broody. Especially with the large poo which they tend to do because when on eggs they can't go as often, so they do it in a large mass all at once. And with the feathers on the breast gone, then that says it for itself that yes she is. I personally wouldn't right now let her hatch eggs. It will be very cold and the chicks won't hatch for 21+ days. By then it'll be quite cold. The hen should spend the winter resting and taking time off not constantly worrying and fussing over baby chicks. Thats what Spring and summer is for. Hope this helps!

 

[codymax2]

She hasn't layed before??? What breed is she?? If she's broody she wont come out at all and will be sitting on a nice pile of eggs, the egg squat is a show that YOU are the the dominant one, its what she would do to breed with a roo, so if she hasnt layed before she will soon, although I 'm not sure if there is a breed that takes that long to lay I'm sorta new so maybe there is Did I answer you or confuse myself hahaha!!

 

[codymax2]

Ahhhh! Learn something new everyday here!!

One of my hens went broody but I guess I never noticed these tells?! Found her sitting on 18 eggs!!! This is my 2nd year so I'm learning ALOT!!
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[old geezer]

she is a rhode island red on the smallash side--2 eggs so far but small pullet size and lightly speckled---i know those eggs are her's as the other ones laying are SLW and a wht. leghern , the sussez is just finishing her molt

 

[old geezer]

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i will also take the advise and not get the fertlized eggs

 

[BWKatz]

Sounds like she's just getting ready to lay an egg, not neccessarily broody. See thead"got another squatter"