Puffed feathers? Please help!

[aart]

More news. I'm not so sure about the "playing" part anymore. She has two eggs under her, and got really mad when I picked her up just a while ago. What should I do? I don't want to have to spend money on getting a cage or something to break her, but I'm not sure how long the broodiness will last. Tips?

Here are the signs I look for when determining whether a bird is broody or not:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

A small wire foldable crate is an excellent tool for any chickeneer.
I got mine at the flea market or yard sales for less than $20,
add some 1x2 cage wire on the bottom and you have an instant space when needed.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...rates-a-good-tool-for-every-chickeneer.72619/

 

[SunriseChickers]

Here are the signs I look for when determining whether a bird is broody or not:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

A small wire foldable crate is an excellent tool for any chickeneer.
I got mine at the flea market or yard sales for less than $20,
add some 1x2 cage wire on the bottom and you have an instant space when needed.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...rates-a-good-tool-for-every-chickeneer.72619/

Thanks, I'll look.

I do have a dog crate in the basement that we don't use anymore. How should I go about this if I'm going to break her?

 

[aart]

I do have a dog crate in the basement that we don't use anymore. How should I go about this if I'm going to break her?

Does it have a wire bottom? That's important.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[SunriseChickers]

Problem is the crate's big. It does have a removable tray at the bottom, but the gaps in the wire are big. I may have to borrow a smaller one from a relative.

 

[aart]

Problem is the crate's big. It does have a removable tray at the bottom, but the gaps in the wire are big. I may have to borrow a smaller one from a relative.

Even the smaller ones have large gaps on bottom to hold tray,
that's why the addition of 1x2 cage wire.
If you look closely at my pic and link, you can see how I did that.

You can also turn crate upside down and put the tray on top to cover large openings,
but tie the tray down somehow to make sure they can't get out that way(have seen that happen).

 

[SunriseChickers]

Even the smaller ones have large gaps on bottom to hold tray,
that's why the addition of 1x2 cage wire.
If you look closely at my pic and link, you can see how I did that.

You can also turn crate upside down and put the tray on top to cover large openings,
but tie the tray down somehow to make sure they can't get out that way(have seen that happen).

Yes, I see. Thank you. I'll keep an eye out for her behavior.