Poorly chicken

[dance in the dark]

So, my orpington Berta, I think she may be broody, she is basically exhibiting most of the signs. She spend pretty much all of her time in the nest box, but normally gets over it by about 5.30pm. She swells and chunters when she is disturbed on the nest box and obviously generally wants to be there, when she is removed she goes back in like a shot!

 

However, having been like this for three days now, she is continuing to lay. She has laid the past two days in a row. But i thought broody hens stopped laying...maybe I am wrong, but that and the fact that she stops laying on the nest for the last few hours of the day just seems odd. Is my understanding of laying and broodiness wrong, or do you think she is just practicing?

 

Tim

[sage]

I have a girl that went broody last year for 3 weeks and produced 6 eggs a week.

 

Sage

[Leeloo]

When my hybrid went broody last year, she continued to lay for the first few days, but then she stopped. They do that so the eggs will hatch around the same time- never mind that the eggs are infertile and you take them away! Once she stopped laying her own eggs, she started stealing the other hen's eggs!

 

She loves to hang out in the nest box so I'm always worried she's about to go broody again. My Australorp, OTOH, seems to drop her egg in a matter of minutes, just a quick in and out!

[sjp]

as said they will lay eggs for a few days after they deside to go broody as they will have 2 or3 in production with my 2 main broodies the have a complete personality change Rebbecc turns into a grumpy wimp Hope who is very laid back go ther other way total neaurotic the little cream legbar cross who went broody last weekend was a really nasty witch

I do have birds that like to sit in the nest box for hours that exibit broody temperment thats the joys of keeping hens