28 wk old Barred Rock Broody?

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Is my 28 wk old Barred Rock broody?

For the last 3 days, one of my BR's has been spending the day sitting in the nest box. The first two days I found her after work sitting in the nest box on an egg.

She lets me lift her up and remove the egg and then she'll go run out in the run and eat and drink.

When I go back in at night to lock them up for the night, she's back sitting in the nest box. I've been putting her up on the roost with everyone else.

Yesterday late morning I went out to collect eggs and there she was sitting in the same nest box but she didn't lay an egg.

All my girls have been laying for 8 wks now - started laying at 20 wks old. I don't have any roos.

Is she broody? What should I do? Thank you.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[NorthernAZchickens]

Don't know...there are several signs of broodiness. One is sitting on the nest, but also the other is she gets upset at you if you reach for her or her eggs...but you said she let you take the egg...so don't know...give it some more time...

 

[txchickie]

I would say no, but she could very well be considering it

So I might say not YET!

My broodies scream/growl and try to de-skin arm if I attempt to take their eggs.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

She does growl if any of the other hens get too close.

All my hens are very sweet towards me. I just talk calmly to her while gently petting her head. She then makes purring noises.

I then gently reach in and lift her up. She's totally relaxed the whole time.

 

[Happy Chooks]

My 26 week old sweet and loving light brahma turned into frankenstein a few days ago. She puffed up like a puffer fish and screamed at me when I tried to get the egg from her. She's been getting off the nest though, so she's not full time broody......yet.

 

[Lollipop]

All hens have different approaches to broody attitude. If you have a gentle one, great for you. Best way to recognize a broody is if she stays on the nest at night. Put a couple eggs under her and see what she does for a couple days. You might begin looking for some fertile hatching eggs in the meantime, providing you wanna go there. If she stays on the nest and you obtain some eggs. slip them under her at night. If possible, she needs her own private pad for the next few weeks. Because this is her first brood, she may not do everything right. Don`t spend a lot on the eggs. Good luck........Pop

 

[chookchick]

Sounds like she is just practicing broody. My hens will also growl if another hen peeks in the nest box. But when my normally sweet hen went broody--there was no mistaking it. She was on the nest 24/7, only very brief breaks. She screamed and bit me when I touched her, and puffed up with her tail "roostered out" if I threw her off the nest. Kick her off the nest whenever you can, and collect the eggs frequently. If she won't get off the nest, you'll have to pen her in run with food and water for the day.

 

[~*Sweet Cheeks*~]

Pop -

Before reading your post, I had already gone out to lock up the coop and little Miss Maybe Broody was sitting in the same nest box with her crop the size of a ping pong ball when all the other girls ate before bed, so theirs were the size of a lemon.

I took her out of the nest box and put her up on the roost with everyone else.

I'm concerned she's not eating as much.

Tomorrow night I'll leave her in the nest box and see if she stayed there all night.

 

[Lollipop]

Sweety, when a hen is broody, she goes into a sort of trans. She doesn`t need as much food or water as she is more or less dormant. Nature will remind her when she needs food, water, or elimination. You don`t have to put that stuff close by as she knows where it is and needs the exersize. Most important that she be left alone by you and the other chickens.......Pop