Help chickens acting strange

[Anonymous]

I have a small flock of 2 Bantams and 2 columbian black tails which, I last week added 2 black stars to the group. Up until the new ones were added all was fine and they were all laying very well, However the 2 backtails are now acting strange, Lottie is acting very broody but is still laying an egg each day and Hattie stopped laying 2 days after the new ones arrived but is not acting broody. Is this all related to the new additions or can there be another reason. Also should I put Lottie in the broody coop if she is still laying but acting broody and is there anything I can do about Hattie not laying? Hattie and Lottie are about 32 weeks old and the new ones are 18 weeks old. The Bantams are laying as normal.
Please any ideas...

 

[Chuck]

It's probably due to bringing in new ones. There's not a lot you can do other than carry on as normal and hope the situation resolves. If you want the hen off broody, put her in the broody breaker.

 

[Anonymous]

thanks for your reply think she will be going in the broody breaker

 

[Marigold]

If she's a Columbian Blacktail and only 32 weeks old she's most unlikely to be broody. Blacktails are a type of hybrid, therefore bred not to go broody, especially at such a young age. Introducing new hens is always disruptive, both for the old and the new ones, and the stress of adapting their social arrangements often leads to egg laying disruptions of various kinds, especially in young pullets not fully established in their routine. Separating her as if she were a broody will make it harder for her to reintegrate when you introduce her to the run again. I'd leave both Hattie and Lottie to sort themselves out, as they most probably will in a week or two.