Bi-Polar Broody Orpington?

[Ariapina]

My sweetest hen, Barbara has been broody for the past 3 days. She’s sitting on ceramic eggs and every day I remove her. I am noticing that she’s puffing up constantly, and challenging all of the other chickens once I remove her. She’s even been doing a sort of crow sound and flying at them- this is a chicken that is not on the top of the pecking order. She is only like this when she’s broody- is this normal?

 

[Chick-N-Fun]

Very Normal. Her hormones are running rampant. You can break her broodiness by putting her In a metal dog kennel elevated with boards or cinder blocks to cool her down. She will need to be in there for a couple of days with food and water and then release her. If she runs back to the nesting box, back in she goes!
Best wishes & Be Well!!!

 

[Ariapina]

Very Normal. Her hormones are running rampant. You can break her broodiness by putting her In a metal dog kennel elevated with boards or cinder blocks to cool her down. She will need to be in there for a couple of days with food and water and then release her. If she runs back to the nesting box, back in she goes!
Best wishes & Be Well!!!

Thank you! I will definitely try that!

 

[aart]

She is only like this when she’s broody- is this normal?

She's been broody before?
Broody's can be Ferocious!
Did she hatch before...and do you want her to hatch now?

 

[Ariapina]

She's been broody before?
Broody's can be Ferocious!
Did she hatch before...and do you want her to hatch now?

She has but never this bad! It’s like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. She normally jumps up in my lap for cuddles and now she attacks my legs when she’s in that mode and I walk past her. We have no roosters but she doesn’t get that it’s pointless

 

[aart]

I wouldn't put up with the pecking, peck her back, and mean it!

Did you break her before...or just let it ride out?
Either get her some fertile eggs or break her.

 

[chickens really]

I'd remove the ceramic eggs also.

 

[Ariapina]

I just installed roll out nesting boxes today, I have another who has been pecking the eggs so this should kill 2 issues I hope! She has gone into chicken jail when she pecks me and every time she has gone broody before I never let her sit in there. I’ve always removed her. I am hoping she takes to the roll outs but this morning she had found a ceramic egg I forgot to remove and was sitting on it on the ground I took that one away as well

 

[aart]

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.