I have a barred rock hen named Ellie who started being broody about a week ago. She has been lying in a little comfy section under a tree, and wouldn’t eat or drink unless I brought her food. Half the time when I went to give her food, she made the weird kind of dinosaur shriek that protective mother hens make until she noticed it was me. But I was worried about her, because there were colonies of ants nearby, and I was afraid that they might hurt her. So, I picked her up (NOT easily) and discovered a dozen eggs underneath her. We don’t have a rooster (she’s the only adult we have, but we also have 4 pullets) so they weren’t hatchable. Several years ago we had a Rhode Island Red that went broody, so we started to keep her away from the nesting box until she calmed down, so I thought Ellie would do the same. But after 20 seconds, she started growling and squawking, and started flying like crazy towards the coop, very loudly. I went over to her, thinking she might have died, but she was alive. She excreted (it was diarrhea) and just stood there, pecking at a single strand of grass. I went back to the nest, and there was a bad egg a foot away from the rest. It was the kind that looks rubbery, but it was moving! It was thumping like a heart for about 15 seconds and then stopped. I went to check on Ellie, and she was in the coop, taking a dirtbath, but making weird noises. She then shrieked at me when I car within 10 feet of her, so I went into the house. When I came back outside, she was back on the nest (we had left two eggs) but looks very alert. She has a pale face and looks frantic. Is this normal with broody hens? She seems like she’s gone bonkers, and I’m really concerned for her.
Thank you for any advice you have.
Thank you for any advice you have.
