Is my hen going broody???

Desert Rooster

El Gallo Del Desierto
9 Years
Sep 4, 2010
7,751
35
241
Hesperia, Ca
One of my hens stays in a nest box to lay her egg for about 3-4 hours at a time, When i open the box to collect eggs, she puffs up and screams at me but later gets off and stays off of the nest box for the rest of the day.
This has been going on for the past 4 days, ive also noticed that she makes these little soft constant clucks once she gets off of the nest and is with the rest of the flock.
is she going broody?????
 
Those are the symptoms of a hen who's thinking about going broody. She's not really broody until she begins to sit on the nest exclusive to all other activities. Be on the alert.

You can maybe sway her from deciding to go all the way broody by removing all eggs as soon as she lays them. Whenever you notice her on the nest, reach under her and remove all the eggs. If she keeps sitting on an empty nest, you know you have a broody.

I just read on another thread you can thrust a broody in several inches of snow for a few minutes and it may cure her. I've had good luck breaking a broody by placing her in an open mesh bottom cage in a well-lit area with a fan blowing under her .
 
I've had many hens do that and not go broody. I think the hormones that cause them to go broody start to kick in but don't go far enough. Either the broody instinct is not strong enough or something just doesn't click for them.

My test is that a hen has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of in her usual roosting spot before she gets any eggs. Until she does that, she is just teasing you.
 
Well, she's finally done it, my first broody
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, now i have to find a way to break her from that, ill try putting her in a small hutch i have to see if she snaps out of it
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One of my EE hens does that if I open the coop up when shes laying. Is this a sign that they will become broody later? I'm kind of hoping she does!
 
I've got a BO hen who appears to be broody. What's "wrong" with it? If you take any eggs out from under her, what's the problem? I better look into this further!
 
Yeah... Bronwen was a "wanna-be broody" like that before becoming officially broody (on pine shavings). Good luck with that.
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I took away the golf balls, am trying to collect the others' eggs quickly, and *trying* to scoot her off the nest as much as possible (they'll probably be getting more treats than normal). Oh well.
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