she has taken up perminant residence in one of the nesting boxes. I no

[cutlass1972]

she has taken up permanent residence in one of the nesting boxes. I noticed she just stays in there 24 /7 (literally). When I let the rest of them out she stays behind, even after I take any eggs out. She was trying to hatch golf balls for a while, I just let it go because I thought it was natural, but I lifted her up yesterday to check things out and the poor little girl has lost ALL of the feathers on her breast. I took the golf balls out and she still stays in that same box.

I can see no sign of infection, nor mites. It is not nasty or irritated looking at all, just bald like a plucked chicken. I keep DE on the coop,a fresh dusting every few days, but I dusted a fresh coat just in case.

I looked all of my other hens over and I noticed another one is missing some but not nearly as many feathers, and another hen is missing a few feathers.

any advice?

 

[verlaj]

If there are no other problems, it sounds like she's broody, not diseased. They lose their feathers on their breast when they are trying to hatch eggs, because it helps keep the eggs warm and humid to be in direct contact with the skin. You can either give her fertile eggs to hatch and a safe place to do it, or try to "break her up."

 

[cutlass1972]

that is more or less what I thought, I just wanted to check with some more experienced chicken people.

any advise on how to "break her up"? I tried taking her out of the nesting box and putting her on the ground outside, but she goes frantically running back around the front of the coop and back into "her" box

 

[ranchhand]

Sounds like she broody, all right. To break the broodiness you will have to completely separate her from any place with nesting potential. Many folks put a broody in a big crate or pen with food and water- no straw or chips to make a nest from. Usually take 3-4 days.

 

[cutlass1972]

is there any harm in letting her do her thing? She is eating and drinking as well as coming out to poop, then running right back in. I mean if that is what she wants to do....

 

[cutlass1972]

I did some research, I got it.

 

[Dazlin]

I move my broodies to another coop when I want to break them...it works every time. Yep, the feather loss is natural, they make direct contact with the eggs...or golf balls.