hii! i hatched my hen in july so she is due to start hatching any time! she lives with a silkie who was hatched at the same time, but has been laying for about a month or so now! the other day, i picked her up and noticed she is missing feathers from her chest area! ive looked on the internet and lots of people say it may be due to being broody, but can she be broody if shes not laying? otherwise, what could it be?? she is a weird bird, i dont know what breed, but her breast is very close to the floor as she walks, so i dont know if it was rubbing on the floor sometimes...her skin isnt red though and doesnt look sore... she hasnt got mite, but i have powdered her in case!! please help!!!!
Usually heavy breeds do start considering going broody around this time of year. When hens decide to go broody they usually do it slowly unless they are crazy and very serious then they get right to it! When they are broody, the hormones in their body make them lose their breast feathers making a featherless patch called the brood patch. It helps keep the eggs warmer by having them in direct contact with the skin. When they are broody they do stop laying so she might just be broody! You can try putting some fake dummy eggs (these can be ceramic eggs, wooden eggs, golf balls, or even real eggs) in the nest box to trick her that that is her clutch and she has to hatch them. Usually broody hens decide to go broody and wait a few days until they get serious. Let me know what happens. I'm not sure about the breast touching the floor. Is her crop to full? Is it hard or squishy? If it's hard it's a big problem. If it's hard try pouring some olive oil down her throat and massaging the crop. If It's squishy she may be taking in too much water. Post that in a different thread and you might get some answers.
