Does my hen need a Shrink???

[YFF]

For the past week I have one hen that has started roosting in the nesting boxes. She will come out for feed and water and then go right back in. In the afternoon when we let them roam the yard I have to open the boxes and bring her out. When she is in there, she get very fluffy and her feathers are very ruffled. Don't understand it because she is one of the more freindly hens and now she has secluded herself. What's up with her.

 

[Becky_H]

Sounds like she's gone broody.

 

[MaineChickens]

She is going broody... Her biological clock is ticking.. she wants to have chicks!

 

[ghillie]

 

[jenjscott]

Yep, do a search for "broody hen" and you'll find out everything you ever wanted to know about it and then some!

 

[Imp]

YFF from Washington

Imp

 

[farmerpete]

from farmerpete. How old is she? Sounds like she's getting broody. Some of our yellow buffs used to roost in the nest boxes until a snake appeared one day, then it stopped . We have 12 nest boxes in one of our hen houses that our 24 yellow buffs roost in at night but they don't roost in the boxes, they only lay their eggs there. We also have 24 white leghorns that lay and roost in another hen house and none of them roost in a nest. I don't try to break the yellow buffs if they get broody, I just put white leghorn eggs under them. Yes the broodys fluff their feathers and peck at my hand when I check their eggs .

 

[B. Saffles Farms]

from TN

 

[b.hromada]

and

from S. Florida.