Weird behaviour...

[PennyH]

We have two bantum hens received from friends of ours late last year. I don't think they're a year old yet, but they started laying about a month ago. This was going really well until one the girls started wanting to stay in the hutch all day long. She fluffs her feathers up and makes a strange noise in her throat when we try to pick her up. We've been removing her from the hutch daily and she is eating and drinking and pooing and acting quite like a normal chicken for a an hour or so...then becomes desperate to get back in the hutch. If she can't get into the hutch she just finds a place in the garden and squats there. This has been going on for a week and is stressing the other hen out as she can't get into the hutch to lay her eggs. I'm pretty sure she couldn't be egg bound at this stage in life could she? Is she just broody? But with no eggs this seems odd too? Otherwise she is healthy, no runny nose or watery eyes or anything like that. Oh, also worth noting is winter has just hit so it has been quite cold and wet.

 

[JadeMurphy]

It definitely sounds like broodiness to me, I'm far from an expert but since my Dad has had hens I've seen them go broody with and without eggs, with and without a rooster, in strange hidden places like in our timber shed etc. I've even seen one try & sit on my younger brothers small teddy.

There are ways you can supposedly get them out of it but I just leave mine to it and collect the eggs as normal. Our other hens squeeze in and lay underneath the broody, I'm pretty sure its a normal thing to do if she's in their nest box so yours probably will too. We've never had a broody sit for anywhere near 21 days without eggs & while she's being disturbed.

I hope that sort of helps.

 

[PennyH]

Sitting on a teddy?! Hilarious...okay, that makes me feel a bit better. I've heard of dipping the hen in a bucket of cold water (something about lowering their body temp) but we haven't tried that yet.
Thanks Jade!