my buff orphington is making broody sounds but has not started to sit on her eggs yet. is something wrong?

[Bbghast]

my hen is a yellow-gold buff Orpington that's more than half a year old. Recently she started to cluck differently. like the clucks you will hear from a hen looking for food for her chicks. or the sounds a hen will make after she gets off her nest to eat and drink and go back to her nest. She has a unique sound from the other chickens tho before she started to act this way. like she kinda sounds like a soft little horn or soft muffled broken trumpet. and she is a little bow-legged but she has gotten better with the bow-legged thing and is walking better. but when I pick her up she sounds like her normal self when I put her back down she starts clucking like a broody hen again. but she has not sat on her eggs yet. She walks around looking for food while still making those broody-like sounds too. and this morning she screamed at me which she never had before. and I was just giving them scraps and I did not hurt or scare her or even touch her at all. and she is usually very crazy when it comes to food gobbling it up but now she makes scared noises and is very cautious of any treats I give her ever since she started to sound broody. Normally she would just go crazy and eat the food like a voracious hungry puppy even if she already ate. but now she will peck it, make a scared noise, and get her head far away from it. is there something wrong with her? or is this a sign that she will start to sit on her eggs soon?

 

[JacinLarkwell]

She might set in a day or so. Sometimes my hens give that their hormones have shifted away early.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

That is what I refer to as "Talking Broody." Some hens will start doing that anywhere between a few days to a few months before going broody. Some hens will do that and never go broody at all, just "talk" about going broody. It's a normal behavior and once you know the time frame of your hen talking broody, you might be able to know when to get a collection of their eggs to hatch.

There is a time when talking broody is a bad thing and has nothing to do with broodiness. This is when the hen is either being broody, or has an issue with the rooster. The hen will start talking broody to protect themselves against whoever they're afraid of. In your hen's case, it sounds like she's planning on going broody, but I'm sharing this information just in case there is a bullying issue either by other hens or a rooster, or you see it start happening in about hen that isn't going broody.

 

[EggSighted4Life]

I put her back down she starts clucking like a broody hen again. but she has not sat on her eggs yet. She walks around looking for food while still making those broody-like sounds too. and this morning she screamed at me which she never had before.

Sounds like she's building up to it and giving you plenty of clues!

I personally still won't let ladies that young sit.. it's not beneficial for them or me.. Instead I make note, beak the cycle and plan ahead for next time.. because she WILL be broody again.

I don't know about the whole bow legged thing.. was she splayed as a chick, have a deformity, injury, nutritional deficiency, etc?? might not wanna hatch any of her eggs and bring that weakness into your flock.

Do you have more room for chicks and a plan for extra roosters? Are you willing to go without eggs from her for about 8-12 weeks while she sits and raises chicks before returning to lay.. and at her highest production time of the year?

Sometimes, if I don't wanna risk roosters (as much).. I tuck sexed feed store chick under a broody at night.. as she gets close to the 3 week sitting mark.

FWIW.. yellow gold is your description.. but the color itself is actually BUFF and the breed is Orpington.. they also come in lavender, black, blue, jubilee, etc.

If you do let her sit.. mark the egg under her with a marker (pencil rubs off), and be sure to collect any newly deposited eggs daily to prevent staggered hatching.

It's a pretty exciting adventure!

 

[Bbghast]

Sounds like she's building up to it and giving you plenty of clues!

I personally still won't let ladies that young sit.. it's not beneficial for them or me.. Instead I make note, beak the cycle and plan ahead for next time.. because she WILL be broody again.

I don't know about the whole bow legged thing.. was she splayed as a chick, have a deformity, injury, nutritional deficiency, etc?? might not wanna hatch any of her eggs and bring that weakness into your flock.

Do you have more room for chicks and a plan for extra roosters? Are you willing to go without eggs from her for about 8-12 weeks while she sits and raises chicks before returning to lay.. and at her highest production time of the year?

Sometimes, if I don't wanna risk roosters (as much).. I tuck sexed feed store chick under a broody at night.. as she gets close to the 3 week sitting mark.

FWIW.. yellow gold is your description.. but the color itself is actually BUFF and the breed is Orpington.. they also come in lavender, black, blue, jubilee, etc.

If you do let her sit.. mark the egg under her with a marker (pencil rubs off), and be sure to collect any newly deposited eggs daily to prevent staggered hatching.

It's a pretty exciting adventure!

so do i just take her eggs then to stop the broodiness?

she was normal as a chick but as time whent on she got mildly bow legged but she is doing better now and becomeing a little less bow legged now.

yes the coop i have them in is very big. no i dont plan on extra roosters. yes am willing to.

ok tysm for the info so far. i appreciate it!

 

[Bbghast]

That is what I refer to as "Talking Broody." Some hens will start doing that anywhere between a few days to a few months before going broody. Some hens will do that and never go broody at all, just "talk" about going broody. It's a normal behavior and once you know the time frame of your hen talking broody, you might be able to know when to get a collection of their eggs to hatch.

There is a time when talking broody is a bad thing and has nothing to do with broodiness. This is when the hen is either being broody, or has an issue with the rooster. The hen will start talking broody to protect themselves against whoever they're afraid of. In your hen's case, it sounds like she's planning on going broody, but I'm sharing this information just in case there is a bullying issue either by other hens or a rooster, or you see it start happening in about hen that isn't going broody.

ah ok tysm. she is not getting bulied and she never has a issue with the rooster. she is a very sweet boy when he is not trying to peck your feet and will always give them little treats and make nests for my hens. and even tho my hen is a little bow legged i think she is the top hen as her sister is very shy even tho she is bigger. but they all get along very well.

 

[Bbghast]

She might set in a day or so. Sometimes my hens give that their hormones have shifted away early.

ok ty

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

so do i just take her eggs then to stop the broodiness?

I put my hens in broody jail. I put two dog cages on top of each other, hook them together, and put her in the top one without a tray. I put something heavy in the bottom one to balance the two cages, and a small log in the top one so the hen isn't standing on the metal bars the whole time. Provide her with food and water, and leave her in there until she's stopped brooding for a day or two.

 

[Bbghast]

I put my hens in broody jail. I put two dog cages on top of each other, hook them together, and put her in the top one without a tray. I put something heavy in the bottom one to balance the two cages, and a small log in the top one so the hen isn't standing on the metal bars the whole time. Provide her with food and water, and leave her in there until she's stopped brooding for a day or two.

ok
ty!

 

[rosemarythyme]

so do i just take her eggs then to stop the broodiness?

Good article on setting up a broody breaker: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/