Is my pullet broody?

[thegingerone]

I've got three 26week olds. One of them is spending (almost) all of the time in the nesting box. Hence (due to lack of daylight I guess) she has stopped laying. I noticed she was moulting a bit over the last few weeks (ie some of her colour feathers in the nest) but thought nothing off it. DH has been lifting her out a bit and she runs off into the garden or to the food but then disappears back fairly soon after. Today I picked her up to move her out and she's completely bald (naked!!) on her underside.

Does this sound like broody? I want to deworm them but as I'm not sure she's eating is it possible to get dose right? If she is broody can I un"brood" her? Bless her, the eggs, she's sitting on, are not destined for a life beyond fritatta. Sometimes she's not even sitting on eggs just sitting there.

I'm very new to this (Can you tell?) Please, clever MN chicken people, advice please!!

She sounds broody. I use a brood cage. Get a small cage (I strap together 2 cage style baskets and pop her in there. Make sure she has access to food and water (I have a budgie style food and drink container that go in with her) and leave her in there for a couple of days in the open air - ensuring of course that she is safe. She should not be able to lie down comfortably. The idea is to reduce her body temperature in order to get her off brood.

The alternative is to dunk her in cold water a couple of times a day and then prevent her from returning to the nesting box.

These all sound so cruel dont they. :(

This time, one of my regular broody birds has been allowed some eggs to hatch. A friend lost all his chooks to a fox, and so we are growing 6 for him. Fertilised eggs cost about £1.50 each and if you want more chooks, you may as well use her for purpose!

Thanks. I don't feel too bad about lifting her out now considering what my next step will be ...... cage or cold bath!!!

i didn't think pullets went broody. So totally unprepared. I'll lock her out of coop til i get a cage in the next few days. She might even "cool" down by doing that in this weather.