Broody???

[Soot the silkie]

I've never had one of my girls go broody before, but I think this is it.
How she acts:
-She pecked a broom I was using to clean out the coop, from her nest box, with her hackles raised.
-after she pecked the broom, she started egg clucking like crazy. I haven't heard about them egg clucking when they are broody.
-but she lets me feed her treats and pet her, and I also was able to take away her egg easily.
-She is nervous, and only my other hen can get her to calm down.
-she does guttural chicken screams.
How she looks.
-she just recently got a bare patch on her lower breast.
-she sits in the nest box like she does before she lays and egg.
I highly suspect she is broody, but she lacks some traits of a broody chicken and she has some I haven't heard of, such as her egg clucking, screaming, and the bare patch on her breast. She is also usually very scared of the broom I use to clean the coop (though I have never, ever touched her with it, let alone hurt her) but now she pecks it bravely.

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

Hi there,
I have a couple clarifying questions, if you don't mind
-Is the bare patch on her chest on part that touches eggs? Hens often loose feathers there so that the heat can be transferred to the eggs better..
-Does she sit in the nest box all the time except maybe like once a day to go and quickly eat food & drink water?
-Does she let other hens lay eggs?/How many nest boxes do you have?

It sounds like she definitely could be since she is defensive, is sitting in the box, nervous..

 

[Soot the silkie]

Hi there,
I have a couple clarifying questions, if you don't mind
-Is the bare patch on her chest on part that touches eggs? Hens often loose feathers there so that the heat can be transferred to the eggs better..
-Does she sit in the nest box all the time except maybe like once a day to go and quickly eat food & drink water?
-Does she let other hens lay eggs?/How many nest boxes do you have?

It sounds like she definitely could be since she is defensive, is sitting in the box, nervous..

Yes the bare patch touches the eggs. She's only been in the nest for about three hours, and I only have one other girl who already laid. Also when one of my eleven week old pullets went in, she puffed up her feathers, hissed, let her wings fall away from her body, and fanned her tail like a turkey. She scared the pullet half to death, and frankly, she scared me as well.

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

It definitely sounds like she is What breed?

 

[Soot the silkie]

It definitely sounds like she is What breed?

She is a Barred Plymouth Rock

 

[Soot the silkie]

Well, she just jumped out and is free ranging with my other girl! Will she be going broody more often now? Why would she shed her breast feathers if she was only going to be broody for a few hour?

 

[SnowPeeOstrichU]

Well, it might just be the start.. Sometimes, broody hens will come out for a little while to eat but then go back to it.

I don't think it would impact her likelihood to get broody but I'm not sure..

 

[Soot the silkie]

Well, it might just be the start.. Sometimes, broody hens will come out for a little while to eat but then go back to it.

I don't think it would impact her likelihood to get broody but I'm not sure..

Nope, she's still out and about!

 

[Soot the silkie]

But thanks for everything!