When Should I Start to Worry?

[Freebirdbeachbum]

I have four young RIRs that have been yielding three eggs a day fairly consistently for several weeks.

One has been parked in a nesting box now for about 24 hours. I’m new to this and this is new to me.

Should I be concerned now or later?

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I have four young RIRs that have been yielding three eggs a day fairly consistently for several weeks.

One has been parked in a nesting box now for about 24 hours. I’m new to this and this is new to me.

Should I be concerned now or later?

Is she making any pterodactyl screeching or rapid clucking sounds with her feathers poofed up? If so, she's broody.

 

[featheredplanets]

What does she look like? Pressed flat over eggs or standing? If standing, she may be having difficulties laying. If laid on the eggs, she may be broody.

 

[Freebirdbeachbum]

Is she making any pterodactyl screeching or rapid clucking sounds with her feathers poofed up? If so, she's broody.

No noise or poofy feathers. She’s just sitting quietly.

 

[Freebirdbeachbum]

What does she look like? Pressed flat over eggs or standing? If standing, she may be having difficulties laying. If laid on the eggs, she may be broody.

She’s pressed flat.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

No noise or poofy feathers. She’s just sitting quietly.

Have you tried to actually pick her up? Are there eggs under her? Remove her and see how she stands, walks, behaves, if she goes back to the nest box, etc.

 

[Freebirdbeachbum]

Have you tried to actually pick her up? Are there eggs under her? Remove her and see how she stands, walks, behaves, if she goes back to the nest box, etc.

I’ll do that and see what happens.

 

[black_cat]

If she fluffs up and growls at you, and keeps going back to the nest box, she is broody. If she is, you have 3 options:
-Put some fertile eggs under her and let her hatch them
-get some chicks and put them under her in the middle of the night
For those first two, you may want to separate her or block off an area that the other chickens can't get to. Another option:
-break her broodiness by taking her eggs, moving her off the nest, blocking off the nest box, or putting an iced water bottle under her. If those don't work, search 'broody jail' on BYC, and follow the instructions.

 

[Freebirdbeachbum]

I’ll do that and see what happens.

Moved her, without complaint, from the nesting box to the coop (there were two eggs under her although I can’t say who laid them since she was in the favorite of the three nesting box options). Checked back after a bit and she was in the run with her sisters milling about as normal.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Moved her, without complaint, from the nesting box to the coop (there were two eggs under her although I can’t say who laid them since she was in the favorite of the three nesting box options). Checked back after a bit and she was in the run with her sisters milling about as normal.

It could be she was in the early stages of broodiness. Sometimes simply removing her from the nest is sufficient. Still, keep an eye on her for the next few days. Watch if she goes back to the nest box, but also watch if she's been walking and tucking her butt under her (signs of egg bound).