One of my breeding hens has started to pluck out her front feathers?

 

She laid an egg on 15/10, that night she broke it and ate it (I know it was her because she had the yolk all down the front of her). Second egg she laid on the 17/10 she sat on that okay then she laid the 3rd yesterday (19/10) and she seemed okay and was sitting on that one also. When I checked her today she had broken both eggs and had started to pluck out her front feathers from her chest down to her vent?

 

When she left the box to have some exercise and something to eat the cock in the cage would kick her back towards the next box - is this normal? None of my other cocks seem to do this when the hen comes out of the box.

 

I have taken her out of the cage and put her under a heat lamp and she seems to have settled down a bit.

 

Should I have taken her out or left her in the cage?

Some hens pluck a row of feathers from their chest to have better and warmer contact with the eggs. BUT in saying this, your hen seems stressed and the actions of her cock may have something to do with it. Give her a rest for a week or two or more ( your call ) and try her with a different boy later on

Thanks Kaz, I will give her a big rest. Our new large aviary should be ready next weekend (fingers crossed) and I will put her in that until next year. She looks a lot better today.

 

She laid another egg this morning in her seed tray so I took it out and fostered it to another hen, was that alright to do??? Will she keep laying evr second day still?

Thanks Kaz, I will give her a big rest. Our new large aviary should be ready next weekend (fingers crossed) and I will put her in that until next year. She looks a lot better today.

 

She laid another egg this morning in her seed tray so I took it out and fostered it to another hen, was that alright to do??? Will she keep laying evr second day still?

Yes, its fine to try and foster the eggs. She may still lay one or two and then stop....usually they stop at two when they have no nest.