Is she broody? Pictures*

[albird101]

I have a little lemon blue old english game bantam hen named nugget, since last week I've been noticing nugget getting puffed up and drops her wings to the ground whenever a specific black hen comes by her, she also does this to our big standard rooster! I decided to show her some eggs that the other hens been laying and she went right ahead and sat on them. I'm not sure if she's just laying a egg or she's going broody she sat on 11 eggs but since she's small I gave her 5 from the clutch that were recently laid!! She puffs up and screams when other hens come by her but when I go by her she dosent do anything.. Any ideas if she's broody? She's been like this almost 2 hours

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[JennaLynn122]

I have a little lemon blue old english game bantam hen named nugget, since last week I've been noticing nugget getting puffed up and drops her wings to the ground whenever a specific black hen comes by her, she also does this to our big standard rooster! I decided to show her some eggs that the other hens been laying and she went right ahead and sat on them. I'm not sure if she's just laying a egg or she's going broody she sat on 11 eggs but since she's small I gave her 5 from the clutch that were recently laid!! She puffs up and screams when other hens come by her but when I go by her she dosent do anything.. Any ideas if she's broody? She's been like this almost 2 hours

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Sounds like a nasty broody attitude to me. Oh, how I wish my girls would do this so I didn't have to mess with an incubator.

I'd also like to add that I would try to separate her so that she doesn't get picked on or vise versa. Broodys can be nasty mean and if she is on the bottom of the pecking order, she may get pecked off her nest if others want to lay there. I thought one of mine was broody and separted her into the barn in a dog carrying crate (door open or off). She got bored with her eggs a few days later but shes young and seems confused by it.

 

[TwoCrows]

Welcome to BYC!

Yes, sounds like you have a broody! They will growl at you if you try to move them from the box. They will puff themselves up and scream at you, even bite you if you reach under them. When they come out of the box they will cluck cluck cluck all over the place. I would let her do her thing and maybe she will surprise you with some spring chicks! Make sure to keep food and water near the nest box so she doesn't have to travel far to nourish herself. You can even offer her some treats while she is setting for 21 days. If they other hens or rooster are bothering her, you can fence off her area so she has privacy. Make sure the lip on your nest box is high enough that the eggs don't roll out or when the chicks hatch, they won't come tumbling out.

Good luck with your broody and I hope she hatches out some chicks for you!!

 

[Judy]

Many don't depend on the mama being broody until she has sat on the eggs at least one 24 hour period without going to roost. Her breed does tend to be broody, though.

My method is to separate while they are sitting on the eggs, then allow mama to raise the chicks in with the flock, so that they are already integrated when she decides not to mother them any longer. I think a broody is probably more comfortable if separated for the setting, since she pretty much spends all her time in a sort of trance, and this saves her from being bothered by hens trying to get into her nest, lay eggs alongside heer in her nest, even take over her nest when she gets up for her once a day outing.

Good luck!

 

[JennaLynn122]

Many don't depend on the mama being broody until she has sat on the eggs at least one 24 hour period without going to roost. Her breed does tend to be broody, though.

My method is to separate while they are sitting on the eggs, then allow mama to raise the chicks in with the flock, so that they are already integrated when she decides not to mother them any longer. I think a broody is probably more comfortable if separated for the setting, since she pretty much spends all her time in a sort of trance, and this saves her from being bothered by hens trying to get into her nest, lay eggs alongside heer in her nest, even take over her nest when she gets up for her once a day outing.

Good luck!

I've also noticed that if another lays beside her or lays while she is out of the nest, she will steal the other hens eggs and then you get some developing behind the others.

 

[gander007]

I have a little lemon blue old english game bantam hen named nugget, since last week I've been noticing nugget getting puffed up and drops her wings to the ground whenever a specific black hen comes by her, she also does this to our big standard rooster! I decided to show her some eggs that the other hens been laying and she went right ahead and sat on them. I'm not sure if she's just laying a egg or she's going broody she sat on 11 eggs but since she's small I gave her 5 from the clutch that were recently laid!! She puffs up and screams when other hens come by her but when I go by her she dosent do anything.. Any ideas if she's broody? She's been like this almost 2 hours

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I cant help myself as she is just a most magnificent looking chicken ....

Sounds like you have a broody so let her sit .....

 

[albird101]

Welcome to BYC!

Yes, sounds like you have a broody! They will growl at you if you try to move them from the box. They will puff themselves up and scream at you, even bite you if you reach under them. When they come out of the box they will cluck cluck cluck all over the place.  I would let her do her thing and maybe she will surprise you with some spring chicks! Make sure to keep food and water near the nest box so she doesn't have to travel far to nourish herself. You can even offer her some treats while she is setting for 21 days. If they other hens or rooster are bothering her, you can fence off her area so she has privacy. Make sure the lip on your nest box is high enough that the eggs don't roll out or when the chicks hatch, they won't come tumbling out. 

Good luck with your broody and I hope she hatches out some chicks for you!!

So after all she just laid a egg, and left the nest but still continues to show the broody behavior towards other chickens, puff ups wings down etc. she's been of the nest for 3 hours but I know a hen isn't broody if it continues to lay and she laid a egg when I thought she had become broody now she's back on the nest puffed up and screeching whenever another chicken goes in!! Is she broody or is she thinking of going broody?

 

[sourland]

Sounds like pre broody behavior. Post by Judy gives great information and advice.

 

[Kelsie2290]

Hello and Welcome To BYC! There is a nice article in the Learning Center on broody hens you might like https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/broody-hens

 

[drumstick diva]

Sometimes new broodies don't really know what they are supposed to be doing. If she doesn't figure it out the first time, maybe next time will be the charm.