Chicken getting aggressive towards me

[Valormitch]

Hi there,

I have three chickens in my flock now for over a year and never had any issues with them protecting eggs. Starting this morning my gold laced wyandotte laid an egg and has been sitting on it all day. Every time I try to get close she starts to growl at me and her feathers stick up. Any advice on why she is doing this and how to stop this behavior?

Thank you

 

[Jaime918]

Sounds broody

 

[nuthatched]

She's gone broody, she wants to hatch her egg. You can 'cool her off' by putting her in a wire dog kennel that's set off the floor. It usually works unless she's stubborn.

 

[Valormitch]

She's gone broody, she wants to hatch her egg. You can 'cool her off' by putting her in a wire dog kennel that's set off the floor. It usually works unless she's stubborn.

Can I just take the eggs from her wearing a oven mitt or something protective?

 

[nuthatched]

Can I just take the eggs from her wearing a oven mitt or something protective?

You can do that too but she'll be like this for about a month if you let her stay broody.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Better off breaking her broodiness for the sake of her health and flock peace.

 

[pekin queen]

Better off breaking her broodiness for the sake of her health and flock peace.

i agree

 

[aart]

Yep, sounds broody to me.

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.


If you don't want her to hatch, best to break her asap.
My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire(1x2) on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

After 48 hours I let her out of crate very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate for another 48 hours.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor, gives the feet a break from the wire floor and encourages roosting.