Broody hen or just pissy that we are disturbing her when she’s on the nest laying?

[Skyleen13]

I’ve got a hen that’s 7 months old. She’s a beautiful black australorp. Her name is Pea. Short for peacock. I’ve got a beautiful big black langshen rooster. I was planning on breeding them & my langshen hens but not till next year when their older. Today when I went to get the eggs I found Pea sitting in the nest being grouchy. Making a sound I’d never heard her make, pecking at all the other hens that tried to come into the nests, & puffing herself up when I got close. Is this her being broody or just having issues with others coming near her when she’s laying?

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Sounds like broodiness. Is the sound she’s making like a high pitched growl? But yeah the puffing up and hissing is what they do when they go broody.

 

[Skyleen13]

Growl for sure. Kind of a warble to it. Lower in pitch then her normal cluck.

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Growl for sure. Kind of a warble to it. Lower in pitch then her normal cluck.

Each hen has a unique broody growl. I’ve had some with a traditional growl, others have squeaked and one made this weird chittering sound.

 

[Folly's place]

Some pullets and hens are very offended if anyone invades their space when they are in a nest box, even when not broody. I have two hens right now who are very serious about this! I wear a glove when getting eggs out from under them, because wounds have happened.
These hens have never been broody, and are fine any other time. We aren't planning to raising any of their cockerels though.
Mary

 

[Chookwagn]

i have one hen that will have a go at me and growl if shes just laid an egg, she is real shitty till she gets out of the nest box and forgets what shes just done.... then shes totally fine.

 

[JaeG]

My bantam wyandottes do not like being disturbed. They will yell and screech and peck if I dare disturb them, and even make an alarm call if I don't get the message.

 

[Chookwagn]

My bantam wyandottes do not like being disturbed. They will yell and screech and peck if I dare disturb them, and even make an alarm call if I don't get the message.

mine are bantam wyandottes as well.... maybe its their thing....

 

[aart]

Most my hens will screech when another hen comes near nest,
pretty typical no matter the breed.

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.

 

[Folly's place]

I don't mind a warning peck, but a serious attempt to wound is not so nice. Both of mine are good layers or they'd be gone...
Mary