Do I have a broody???? please help me.

[L*A*G*]

I have a rir hen that right now is on about a dozen of golf balls and 1 of her eggs that she just laid. lately the rooster has been over doing her so i thought i would put her out in the yard and give her cat food untill she got some feathers back. but she would not lay anywhere else but her old nest ONLY. so i put her in the hen house to lay and she starts acting like a mean broody hen: ruffleing her feathers, growling, and all that stuff.

but my doubt is that she has done this 2 days ago (yesterday she didn't lay) and got off the nest a lil later.
if she does get off the nest this time, is she just trying to make a clutch of egg so she can brood them later? if she stays on the nest over night, when do i put fertile eggs under her?

please let me know. and everything u know about broody hens would be helpful. (first time.)

 

[RubberChickenLubber]

It is possible she is going broody. My buttercup hen laid an egg and would sit on it and act broody, but later get up and go with the others when they went too free range, then roost with them. Then she quit laying eggs and went full fledged broody. It seems like some it takes a few days to get "determined".

 

[L*A*G*]

YES! There is still a chance to be a grandmum!

so she has been on the nest for about 11 minutes!
GO Delhila GO!

 

[vfem]

Go ahead and let her brood... sounds like she's going that direction!

Mine get that, and get off the nest a bit here and there the first 2 days they start... then they stay on almost permenantly after that. Just realize, a broody will get off the next each day to eat and drink for about 30 minutes total. So either 1 trip for food and water, or maybe 2 15 minutes treks. However they choose...

Give her some eggs and I can't wait to see your babies!!!

 

[RubberChickenLubber]

Now, you have me wondering. When hens lay eggs, they at times sit on the nest for an hour or more, and they sometimes will squawk and fluff up. If she's only sitting for an hour or so, and everytime lays an egg, this could just be normal laying behavior. If she is sitting for over half the day, and then gets up later, she could be heading to broodiness.

 

[Mrs MIA]

A hen can go broody and sit on an empty nest... or she can lay an egg and leave the nest, and lay each day until she gets enough eggs that she's ready to sit in earnest. It certainly sounds like she's trying to collect eggs at this point, but isn't quite ready to sit on them.
Once she does go broody, you may have to separate her and her nest so that the other hens don't continue to lay there too. I've had some hens kicked off the nest so that others can lay... the broody will settle somewhere else and the eggs will get cold.

When she settles in for the long haul, make sure she gets off the nest to eat/drink/POOP at least once a day (I usually make sure they do it twice) otherwise she will waste away or poop on the eggs. You do NOT want her to poop in the nest...

trust me!

 

[L*A*G*]

well...she did get off the nest

but she shouldn't be trying to lay up a clutch to brood cuz i put a plenty of golf balls in it. and i do understand how all this could just be a egg laying behavior, but i've had this gal for several years and has never acted this way?

 

[L*A*G*]

todays update

today i have noticed that she is poopfing up even when she is off the nest and she sounds diferent now.
WHAT IS GOING ON?????

 

[Teresaann24]

She could be trying to go broody my girls start about 2 weeks before going full fledge broody. They will lay and sit on the nest forever but get off and act the whole broody thing. Give her some time I believe your girl is heading down broody hood.