Is this broody behavior? Or is she egg bound?

[City Gardener]

I thought our favorite hen was egg bound. The last day and a half she's been hanging out in the nest boxes, but without producing an egg.

I was all set to give her a bath and keep her in the house and keep an eye on her. I set up a little dog pen in the kitchen and filled the sink with warm water (didn't buy the K-Y jelly yet, ack how embarassing!).... Then I went out to the coop. Sure enough, she was in the nest box, with her feathers all puffed up. She made a little cooing noise at me. I took her out --- and there's an egg under her. So I put her down -- she seems kinda weak, but walks back over to the egg and stands over it and starts pushing it around gently with her beak, standing over it, and still making this cooing noise while she inspects the egg and rolls it around a bit.

Then she came out and went and got some food and water. I ran back in here to find out what you all think!

She is our best hen -- our mystery chick that came with our four buff Brahmas. She turned out to be an easter egger, and she rules the other hens, even though she is smaller than they are. She is just the smartest, friendliest hen. She follows us around and will eat out of our hands. She can climb a ladder to get up to fig tree and hangs out up there. AND she's the best layer. We get a little tiny blue egg almost every day from her.

What do you think? Could she have been egg bound? Is she broody? Help!

 

[jenjscott]

Sounds broody to me.

 

[OrpingtonManor]

I vote for broody. Are those cooing noises kinda growly?

 

[Uppity Peon]

She might gave been almost egg-bound but apparently she got over it.
My hens spend quite a bit of time in the nest box, and I never get them out. I figure they either haven't laid yet or need the rest. None has gone broody on me yet.

 

[City Gardener]

I think you're all right and she is broody. Funny, because I was thinking that the sound she made was like a pigeon coo... and then realized that the pigeon noise I was thinking of is the noise they make when they are sitting on their nests. You can hear them tucked in roofs and windows. it is very similar to the noise our hen was making.

She spent a good part of the day outside today eating and drinking and chasing the other hens around, and then was back in the nesting box by this afternoon.

Phew! I was so worried she was eggbound!