Broody and Molty

There have been some learning experiences going on over here at the farm. Camilla and Buffy hadn't been themselves lately and I was worried they were sick. Camilla stopped laying over a week ago and has been walking around looking depressed with her tail down. I noticed piles of white feathers around, like a bird had been killed in our yard and realized she's going through a molt.


This isn't the typical time of year for molting, but sometimes they go through a partial molt - I think this may be what's going on because there aren't any bald patches, she just looks a little rough. Molting is hard on them, she's been going to bed an hour before the others and not eating as well. So I've been giving her cooked egg and sunflower seeds to make sure she gets enough protein for the feathers to grow back in nicely.

Then there's Buffy who began pecking me while I collected eggs last week. She does not normally pick. She's also been very unfriendly and walking around puffed up. I was worried she wasn't feeling well too, but it turns out she is broody. That means she wants babies and she will do anything to get them. It can be hard to break a broody hen, especially buff orpingtons - they really want to be mamas. Their hormone level is tied in with the temperature of their breasts, so the goal is to cool that breast down to trigger a change in the hormones so she'll go back to normal. You are supposed to put them in a wire bottomed cage for a day or so, but we don't have one. So I booted her from the nest area and locked her out. I'm hoping the cool wind will be cool enough. If that doesn't work you can put ice cubes under them while they sit in the nest box. If she's still like this in a few days I'll try that. She is all puffed up and makes these horrible noises. In the morning when Aaron leaves she has been squawking at him. I heard it this morning and it was alarming!

I took some videos of her so you could get the full experience. It's pretty funny, but I hope she goes back to her nice (egg laying) self soon!

In nest box

A few minutes after I removed her:

Trying to get back

You can see why a broody hen is also called a clucky hen. Cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck...