Baby broody Easter egger

[Pattipullets]

I have an Easter egger that has layed for 3 weeks and just was 5 months old Last week. I’m new to chickens and did not know broody behavior could happen so young. At first I thought she might be hiding in the nesting box because she is at the bottom of the pecking order. I once saw my year old hens drag her out of the nesting box by her neck. I keep making her get out when I catch her but as soon as I walk away she gets right back in. I just put one of the 1 year old hens in broody time out, could she be copying her? Does she too need broody time out. I hate to separate her as she is already being picked on.

 

[JustBabyMargo]

Our buff Orpington went broody at about 6 months so I would say it’s possible! She may be an early maturer and think that she needs to copy her friend!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Best to put her in broody jail. It can also help with her being picked on, as broodies act differently than they normally would, which can cause more discord among the flock.

 

[aart]

She may be hiding, or just taking longer to lay because she's stressed.

Here's my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.