Do I have a broody on my hands?

[ScotianChick]

And if I do, where was she when I was incubating chicks?!

Anyway... Arlene is a Silverlaced Wyandotte, not quite a year old yet. She has lately been sitting on her egg after laying it and sometimes on one or two others and screeching when I come to collect them. I picked her up and took her out of the nest when I Was done and she walked away. However today when I picked her up and took her out, she just flopped over when I put her on the ground. In the exact same position as on the nest!! Then I picked her up again and kind of talked to her a bit then put her down and she stood up and walked away. She shrieks all the time now, if anyone goes near her or if the hens eat next to her she shrieks.

Broody or just nuts?

 

[PamB]

Haha..your last line made me laugh. My broodies (and I have silkies, so I have lots of them), sit on the eggs and when I take the egg out from under them, they continue to sit on nothing until another hen lays and they can steal that egg to sit on. I will take them off the nest and put them out in the run. All they want to do is get back in that coop to sit. Sometimes, I shut the coop door so that they will stay out longer and eat and drink (hoping to break them). When the door is shut, they are basically obsessed with getting back in the coop to sit. They will eat a little, walk around a little, or drink a little, but they go right up to that door over and over again yelling their heads off at me because they want to get back in. As soon as I open the coop door, they run back in and sit immediately (on nothing because I've taken any eggs that they had under them). There is no mistaken when I have a broody.

 

[Sorin]

Yes, I'd say she is definitely thinking about going broody. I have a BO that has been doing the same things on and off for a couple of weeks. I just pull her off the nest whenever I can, and she is usually fine for the rest of the day.

 

[ScotianChick]

Arlene seemed fine the rest of the day but it's so odd hearing her do that shriek like she does on the nest but just while eating and doing normal chicken stuff...

I had to ask because DH was horrified this morning. Basically this is what happened:

Me: Oh, Arlene is in here, hold on I betcha she has a few eggs under her.
DH: Well just grab them and we'll go in the house.
Me: She's acting really broody, I should take her out of the nest, we don't want to encourage this.
DH: Oh just leave her be, let her do what she wants.
Me: No, I'm taking her out. This is ridiculous.
*Puts Arlene on the ground who then flops over*
DH: Oh my God... Is she.. okay?
*I grab Arlene*
Me: Oh yes, you're fine! Right Arlene? RIGHT?!
*puts her back down*
Arlene: SHRIEK
Me: Yep. She's fine.

 

[eggsontoast]

That last "conversation" was too funny. I love weird chicken behavior.

 

[stormylady]

I think my young Pullets go through that stage too, they hardly ever follow up with it and lose interest pretty quickly, they go through the whole gammet of screaming at me and pecking at me when I take the eggs from them, but then they go about there bussiness , also someone told me once that alot of times the hens just like spending a little extra time admiring there handyworks, (which by the way makes the other girls a little testy because they want to use the nest too) so there is alot of bickering during that time of the day. LOL .
I would try putting some golf balls or some artificial eggs in the nest and see if she sits on them for a few days straight to see if she is really going broody, or just playing house. Sandy