If she walks like a broody and talks like a broody...

[Willow2253]

I have a girl who for the past couple of days has been behaving like a broody, except she isn’t sitting on a nest. She’s still laying, and roosting at night, and running around outside all day. She’s just also doing the broody cluck a lot and she’s fanned her tail out and puffed herself up like a turkey while doing the broody cluck a couple of times. This is only behavior I’ve seen from broodies.
She’s a gold laced Wyandotte that has hatched before. She’s kind of a loner, I had more wyandottes until recently when a predator got them, and she doesn’t really hang out with the main flock since then. Everyone is free range, but there’s no hidden nests and she’s not hiding herself.
I’m just confused as to what’s going on with her.

 

[CluckerFamily]

How old is she? If she is young she may be trying to figure things out and her body is saying go broody but she doesn't quite know what that all involves.

 

[Kal-el]

I have a girl who for the past couple of days has been behaving like a broody, except she isn’t sitting on a nest. She’s still laying, and roosting at night, and running around outside all day. She’s just also doing the broody cluck a lot and she’s fanned her tail out and puffed herself up like a turkey while doing the broody cluck a couple of times. This is only behavior I’ve seen from broodies.
She’s a gold laced Wyandotte that has hatched before. She’s kind of a loner, I had more wyandottes until recently when a predator got them, and she doesn’t really hang out with the main flock since then. Everyone is free range, but there’s no hidden nests and she’s not hiding herself.
I’m just confused as to what’s going on with her.

I think she is trying to gather a clucth after that she goes into full broody mode.

 

[The Happster]

Often these birds will think about being broody without actually going for it.

She may sit, she may not.

I have had many hens walking around puffed out. Eventually they either sit or stop.

 

[aart]

She’s still laying, and roosting at night, and running around outside all day. She’s just also doing the broody cluck a lot and she’s fanned her tail out and puffed herself up like a turkey while doing the broody cluck a couple of times.

She's thinking about it.....

 

[JacinLarkwell]

Are there young ones in the flock? My old EE started doing that when she saw there were babies in the flock and kept trying to coparent. The mama would have nine of it though until they feathered out and the EE took over mostly then

 

[Willow2253]

How old is she? If she is young she may be trying to figure things out and her body is saying go broody but she doesn't quite know what that all involves.

She’s in her third year, and she’s hatched chicks before.

I think she is trying to gather a clucth after that she goes into full broody mode.

Makes sense, we aren’t letting eggs build up but there are fake eggs in the nests that I thought she might sit on.

Are there young ones in the flock? My old EE started doing that when she saw there were babies in the flock and kept trying to coparent. The mama would have nine of it though until they feathered out and the EE took over mostly then

I’ve got 11 week olds in the flock, I brood in the coop so they’ve been with the flock since day 1. I had another group of chicks that hatched at the beginning of July, a different broody hatched one in June, and another batch in March, so we’ve basically had chicks all summer. She would always babysit them, but didn’t exactly try to parent them. Her name is Mommy because she’s the best with chicks.

We will keep collecting eggs and hope she doesn’t try to sit, it’s too cold already for new babies. It’s supposed to snow this weekend!

 

[Willow2253]

Well, it did snow yesterday and that snapped her out of it. She’s back to normal chicken behavior. Hopefully next time she goes broody at a better time of year for chicks.