Could this be broody behavior?

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Mrs. K said:
I on the otherhand, cannot resist a broody hen, the Gods have smiled on me. So I either put fertilized eggs under her (however, I can manage roosters), or I order some chicks getting a breed I have had my eye on, or once when I was getting started, I called a woman, who's name I had gotten from someone else, and told her "I am a crazy chicken lady, and someone told me that you had fertilized eggs." She laughed and gave me a dozen.

Nothing is more fun than a broody hen with chicks. And it is the longest 21 days ever!

Mrs K
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I'm at capacity. And cockerals would have to be removed. But if those were not issues, I would entertain the idea.
 
I have housed Tillie in the chicken hospital, while I wait for her broody cage and accessories to arrive (sometime today - hopefully before dark). After the others go to roost at night, I bring her out of the chicken hospital and put her to roost with her clutch-mates, who are still all roosting in the smaller of our two coops - by choice. The nesting boxes are in the large coop. She's not happy, but it's keeping her out of the nesting boxes. Poor Tillie. I feel so mean.
 
The brooding jail worked. But she's now holding back eggs, entirely I haven't gotten an egg from her since - we'll, I don't see a date on my last entry in this thread - but, since I put her in the chicken hospital. I'm gonna say September 18th.
 
Sammster said:
The brooding jail worked. But she's now holding back eggs, entirely I haven't gotten an egg from her since - we'll, I don't see a date on my last entry in this thread - but, since I put her in the chicken hospital. I'm gonna say September 18th.
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It can take awhile for them to lay again after being broody, sometimes they molt first. The shorter days might also keep them from laying.
How old is she, in months?
 
aart said:
I don't screw around, if I have a broody and don't want them to hatch, which has been 80-90% of the times....
.....into the broody breaker they go!
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/
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Same. Be careful about just letting a broody be in the nest box - others will find it inspirational… broodiness is contagious! I didn’t get around to dealing with my broody Superblue for a few days this summer and she inspired not one, but two others to join her - two three year olds that have NEVER been broody before (BCM and CL). I didn’t have enough wire pens! Absolute disaster… Took three days for the SB and the CL to snap out of it, but the Marans was broody for weeks! I finally decided to set her pen in different exposed but shady spots on the property and move her three times or more each day. Constant change of environment so she could never feel settled. That finally did the trick, but boy I was getting desperate…
 
Stephine said:
Same. Be careful about just letting a broody be in the nest box - others will find it inspirational… broodiness is contagious! I didn’t get around to dealing with my broody Superblue for a few days this summer and she inspired not one, but two others to join her - two three year olds that have NEVER been broody before (BCM and CL). I didn’t have enough wire pens! Absolute disaster… Took three days for the SB and the CL to snap out of it, but the Marans was broody for weeks! I finally decided to set her pen in different exposed but shady spots on the property and move her three times or more each day. Constant change of environment so she could never feel settled. That finally did the trick, but boy I was getting desperate…
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Glad I have 4 wire crates, made them for other purposes but had 3 broodies at the same time a couple summers ago. Not sure it's actually 'contagious' but it does happen....and I've had enough broodies to spot it the first or second day/night.
 
Sammster said:
The brooding jail worked. But she's now holding back eggs, entirely I haven't gotten an egg from her since - we'll, I don't see a date on my last entry in this thread - but, since I put her in the chicken hospital. I'm gonna say September 18th.
Click to expand...
x2 what aart said, birds that have gone broody often do not resume laying for a few weeks (so you're in that time frame), and some may molt in the interim which could further delay it. If this bird is over a year old she may not pick up laying again until spring rolls around due to molt and/or decreased sunlight.
 
We have a older Speckled Sussex that gets broody twice a year. I've tried broody jail, fake eggs even golf balls with no luck. When she can't get what she wants she gets mean to everyone....
A few years back I decided to give her what she wants, chicks. I give her four marked eggs along with three fakes. She's as happy as she can be, sometimes I swear I can hear her purring. Her pullets stay with the flock, the cockerels have to go....
 

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