Broody hen or Bitchy Biddy?

[amymae1100]

My, usually mild-tempered, 1 year old, GLW, Walter (turned out she's not a roo) has been spending an aweful lot of time in the nesting box the last three days and every morning when my husband or i go to collect the eggs there she is fluffing up her feathers and making crazy noises at us when we reach under her for the tasty morsels she's guarding. The first two days we collected the eggs and within 30 minutes or so she got off the nest but in an attempt to encourage her possible broodiness (i have guinea eggs that could use a better momma) i left the eggs in there today but she still got off after sitting in there for quite a while. The other thing is that even when she is out of the box and foraging in the yard she makes the broody noises and fluffs up when we get near her. What gives? She has never acted this way, We can usually pick her up and hold her with no problems! My husband thinks she needs chocolate

 

[HEChicken]

She may be "pre-broody". In my experience, before a hen goes broody, she spends a few days sort of trying out the broody behavior. She will cluck and fluff and spend more time in the nest box than usual but still won't be full-on broody. Then after a few hours or days behaving this way, suddenly she'll be sleeping on the nest and barely leaving it and then she is truly broody.

 

[Teila]

Howdy amymae1100

at her needing chocolate!

I agree with HEChicken in that she is probably pre-broody and I have had a couple of gals behave in this way before going full on broody.

I also have a 2 year old bantam Langshan who has never been broody but after laying an egg, she leaves the nest only to return 15-20mins later. Regardless of whether the egg is still there or I have removed it in the meantime, she settles back onto the nest and fluffs up etc. She does this for maybe an hour and then wanders off again, back to her normal sweet self. She is a funny little girl and follows the same process with every egg she lays.

I also have a bantam Frizzle who was broody for one day and is currently now walking around the garden protecting her invisible babies, calling them over for treats etc. She has been doing this for two weeks!

These feathered friends of ours sure are funny little things with there own individual chickenalities

 

[amymae1100]

Just an update: Walter was pre broody, she is sitting on 10 guinea eggs, as we don't have an adult rooster yet. She stays of the nest for quite a while each day but hopefully she knows what she's doing. Thanks for the info all!