Is she going broody?

[corgiscatsandchickens]

It's time to ask the experts on this one!

Flock of 6 BR girls, one roo. Egg laying machines (the girls) Lizzie is one of the lowest in the pecking order, but she doesn't seem to mind it. Matter of fact, she usually doesn't mind anything. Always has been the most laid-back chicken you've ever seen; nothing ever upsets her--until now.

Now when I gather eggs, if she sees me doing it, she gets very upset. Making that low, drawn-out "brwaaak, brwaaak, brwaaak" over and over again. The only way to calm her down is to put an egg back in a nestbox.

I always take a basket out to gather eggs and the other day, when she saw that I had eggs in the basket, she tried to climb in and sit on the eggs!

I'm a little surprised, since they only hatched this past March, so they're pretty young, plus it's so late in the year and getting pretty cold. She's not sitting on the eggs that have already been laid, just getting upset when you take them.

Back in the day when we had bantams, they went broody all the time. No fuss, no "don't take the eggs" behavoiur. They free ranged, so it was hide your nest, lay a bunch of eggs, set them, hatch the chicks if the people didn't stop you in time, and be happy. Is Lizzie going broody, or does she just have a screw loose?

For the record, she was the first pullet to lay.

 

[Hillbilly Hen]

It does sound like she wants to be broody. I had a Delaware go broody 3 weeks after laying her first egg. I also had three more chickens go broody recently. I sold one, managed to break another but the last one screams at me anytime I open the door to the coop. Her egg is due to hatch Monday.

 

[teach1rusl]

LOL...well...I don't think she's nuts, but I don't think she's going broody either. I've only had a few broodies, but none displayed behaviors you're describing. Their's was typical staying on the nest, puffing up and growling when I'd try to pet them or move them (while on the nest), or if I took them off the nest - crazy, mad dashes around the yard - eat, drink, quick waller in the sand - then rush back to nest. BRs are quirky, inquisitive birds to begin with. Maybe she's just quirkier than the average BR. A few of my girls will try to climb inside any little cozy spot that comes available - and your basket of eggs probably looked rather cozy, and also conveniently came with eggs

I'm not sure why she was bawking so much??? I love barred rocks!
It sounds silly, but I try not to let my chickens see me taking their eggs...lol. My lead hen especially will give me this "look" if she catches me.