broody??

[mommabs]

Well my chicken is almost 10 mos old. Shes gotten rather gripey and doesnt like me messing w her or anything anymore. Shell sit on eggs but not all the time. If I move her to get the eggs. Shell go out in the run. We dont have a rooster so no babies expected. I do leave fakebeggs and golfballs in there. She likes those too. And ive noticed alot of her feathers r in the box. Broody??

 

[Ridgerunner]

Maybe. Where does she spend her nights? There are a whole lot of different signs that a hen might be broody, some you mentioned and some you didn’t. I’ve had hens exhibit practically all of those signs and still not stay on the nest.

My test to determine if the hen is truly broody is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of roosting in her normal place before I consider her truly broody.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Sounds like she could be going broody, or she could be just be molting. Does she go back to the same box all the time and stay in there at night also? If they are not doing a "good" job of being broody they will go off the nest more than they should, or at every little thing that disturbs them, and just not be as dedicated as they should in general. If they are just molting though, they sometimes get crabby and don't seem to feel well in general when they are working hard at regrowing feathers, do you see pin feathers on her?... they will sometimes sit in the nest boxes, I think because the boxes are more secluded and they won't be bothered as much by other chickens, and if the weather is really cold, the boxes are warmer.

 

[mommabs]

Shes been spending alot of time in that one box. This morning she was in the one next to it. They all lay in those two boxes.I have 9 chickens. She doesnt mive unless I move her. Then shell go out to the run but the next time I go check shes back n the box. I dont see any pin feathers. . I took a pic of her underside.

 

[mommabs]

She was NOT happy! Lol she was just a squealing at me.

 

[mommabs]

Shes definitely broody. Gets all flat and growels at me. Sits on her imaginary eggs.I make her get out so she can eat and drink.

 

[Chickengirl47]

It sounds like she's broody. When she goes out in the chicken run does she puff up her feather's? Here's a thread on how to break a broody hen:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/181289/how-to-break-a-broody-hen#post_2176186

 

[Bullitt]

Well my chicken is almost 10 mos old. Shes gotten rather gripey and doesnt like me messing w her or anything anymore. Shell sit on eggs but not all the time. If I move her to get the eggs. Shell go out in the run. We dont have a rooster so no babies expected. I do leave fakebeggs and golfballs in there. She likes those too. And ive noticed alot of her feathers r in the box. Broody??

Why do you have fake eggs in the nest if you don't have a rooster and don't want your hen to go broody?

 

[mommabs]

Well I put the fake eggs in there to encourage them to lay in the boxes instead of pooping in them. Thats wat several people told me to do. And yes..she fluffs up her feathers and squacks and growls even when shes out.

 

[mommabs]

I took the fake ones out by the way.