Do broody chickens still lay?

[Smithagain]

This might well be a daft question but we're on a steep learning curve here?

We have two chickens - one is laying daily, the other we don't think is laying at all yet. The one that's laying is going broody.

So the question is - will she still be wanting to lay? She normally lays mid-morning, but nothing yet. So I'm thinking that i might block off the nest box so she is encouraged to get outside and eat. But I don't want her starting to lay somewhere else - we've only just got into a pattern in the first place!

They tend to stop laying when they go broody.

I found the best thing to do was remove the eggs ASAP. I used to literally stand outside waiting to pounce and remove as soon as they had laid. After a couple of days the lose the broodiness.

Good luck.

Thanks!

Still no egg and I've blocked the access to the nesting box. So now she's just sitting in the hut Am going out and chasing her outside every so often but she's like a jack-in-a-box springing back as soon as I go back inside.

HTH - Just a couple of questions, might help me give you a better answer, especially if she is jumping right back in at the moment!

1. How old are the hens?
2. How long have they been laying?
3. How long have you had them?
4. What are you feeding them?

what flavour is she? (breed I mean)
some hens are very difficult to break a brood and no they don't lay when they have a big enough clutch.
I have a bantie maran who regularly goes broody. We've tried leaving her but she will sit on nothing for weeks, makes no difference if you shut the coop, take away eggs, she's determined.
The only way to do it is put them in a cardboard box with straw for 24 hours, they go for a long sleep and when they wake, they've forgotten.

She's a Light Sussex bantam.

We bought her at point of lay in October. She started laying at the beginning of January.

We're feeding them layers pellets and the odd handful of corn. They get out in the garden two or three times a week and eat what they find.

She did come out of the hut of her own volition this afternoon, but didn't stay out for long. And her friend keeps hanging around wherever she's sitting, looking all concerned. So neither of them are getting out much!

Any wisdom much appreciated.

banties definitely brood more....
there's nothing wrong with her she's just doing what comes naturally.. and she'll just be popping out for food and water, technically there's a reason to leave the eggs, cooling I think.. (and this applies even if there are no eggs)
Anyway stick her in a box overnight or buy some fertilized eggs for her to hatch.

Thanks. She's out and about a lot more today, so I think she's going off the idea anyway! If not, I think we're going to try the box thing.

(The main concern, in all honestly, is that we're going away for a couple of days soon and have promised the neighbours eggs in return for keeping an eye on the chickens. But they are going to be disappointed if she keeps this up!)