Broody-ish chicken

[Ajp23]

Hi! I have a two year old Easter egger who has all the signs of being broody except she hasn’t been laying for over a month due to molting. Instead of hanging out in the nesting box, she stays on the lowest roost in the coop (closest to nesting boxes) nearly all day. She paces on the roost, puffs up and makes the broody noise if you open the coop door. It’s like she’s guarding the coop? If I look in the window without opening the door, she is relaxed. The minute it opens, she goes into hulk mode.

Otherwise, she seems perfectly fine. Normal energy, eating, drinking and poop but wants the coop to herself. What’s going on? Should I lock her out?

 

[Beau plus penny]

shes probably in the first stages of going broody. is there a possibility she might already have hatched babies.

 

[Perris]

has all the signs of being broody except she hasn’t been laying for over a month due to molting.

If she hasn't been laying for a month she definitely is NOT broody. She is moulting.

Instead of hanging out in the nesting box, she stays on the lowest roost in the coop

Which again says loud and clear that she is not broody.

If I look in the window without opening the door, she is relaxed. The minute it opens, she goes into hulk mode.

She wants to be left alone. Moulting makes her miserable and it hurts if another bird or her keeper try to touch her.

Otherwise, she seems perfectly fine. Normal energy, eating, drinking and poop but wants the coop to herself. What’s going on?

She is avoiding everyone to get through her moult in the least uncomfortable way she can.

Should I lock her out?

Only if you want to make her life even more miserable right now.

 

[BDutch]

Like Perris says. She is not broody but needs recovery time from moulting .