Broody hen?

[Saad M]

I have a hen which started laying eggs a month ago and for the past few days she has been sitting in the nesting box for long hours acting like broody. I'm not sure if they become broody this early. Its a frizzle.

 

[Sally PB]

Does she go to roost at night? If you take her off the nest, does she flatten out into a screeching pancake?

If the answers are yes and no, then she's probably not broody.

I have a hen who has always likes to sit in the the nest box, sometimes for over an hour. I swear she has a magazine in there and is reading.

If the answers are no and yes, then she may very well be broody.

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I think she is broody. Some do go really early and I know many say that theirs try to broody after laying enough eggs.
I have 2 broodies now, and a third one trying to brood. Mine are 15 months old though.

 

[Baileybunchx5]

I think she is broody. Some do go really early and I know many say that theirs try to broody after laying enough eggs.
I have 2 broodies now, and a third one trying to brood. Mine are 15 months old though.

I have one that is 6 months and she seems broody. Speckled sussex. She does not go to roost at night and yes screeches at me when I remove her from the nesting box. Do you know how long this lasts normally? I remove her a few times a day as I work from home and have the opportunity to do so. Any suggestions?

 

[Ilovemychicks08]

I have one that is 6 months and she seems broody. Speckled sussex. She does not go to roost at night and yes screeches at me when I remove her from the nesting box. Do you know how long this lasts normally? I remove her a few times a day as I work from home and have the opportunity to do so. Any suggestions?

If you dont want to break her you can give her eggs. But otherwise put her in a broody cage.

 

[Leatherworker]

I have a hen which started laying eggs a month ago and for the past few days she has been sitting in the nesting box for long hours acting like broody. I'm not sure if they become broody this early. Its a frizzle.


View attachment 3612726

Yes, they can. I have one now that I just broke from it. These are first year laying pullets. She's a LO and I know they can go broody. I didn't expect it so early though. They get all puffy and growl when you get to close or touch. She would not roost or go out at all. I bought a two tier bunny hutch for a little hospital or broody jail this summer, so I was ready. Last resort is to let her sit, but chicken jail came first. During the day I put her in the lower section with a dirt bottom. At night to keep her safe for the night she was moved to the top. Best not to have bedding. She had food and water. I took her out in the yard with the rest of the girls to see if she would join in. I did this for 2.5 days. She got restless on the third morning and when I brought her out she stayed out, ate, sand bathed and is back to normal. Since we are in autumn I sure didn't want to have to let her hatch a chick or two. Hope this helps.

 

[Amphitecna]

I also have a ~6 MO light sussex who I think has gone broody. For the last three days she's been hogging "the good" nesting box and making hissy gurgly noises when the other chooks come in. I think they're bothered since they don't like the other box. Today though, when I went to check one went into the "subpar" box and I hope will lay. It's bummer timing because I think our 4th bird is just starting to lay. I'm seeing numerous shell-less eggs (and this morning just a yolk in a pile of poo).

I had hoped to give fertile eggs to one of them when they went broody, but mid-september in western France doesn't seem to be the best time of year. I hope she breaks soon. Should I make another space for her? If so, what would you all recommend? We are new chicken parents and are definitely not set up even with a chicken jail, let alone a place to brood.

 

[aart]

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.


.......and how I break them:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/