Is this broody? Or just weird?

[Supernatural]

One of my buff orp hens has been laying for about 3 weeks. The last several days, she's been hanging out in the coop taking forever to lay an egg, and then sitting around on it for a long time after. She's probably in there for 2 or 3 hours every day. If I open the door to check on her, she makes a growly whirring noise and puffs her neck feathers all out. I can take the egg out from under her, but she still sits there for another hour or so before heading out to scratch for the rest of the day. She comes out every morning as usual, and roosts with the others at night, just this weird behavior around her egglaying. She was my first layer, and is the smallest and most gentle of my five.

This afternoon I tossed her out of the coop after taking her egg, but then I felt kind of bad. Maybe she just needs some time to recover? I sure would if I squeezed something the size of my head outta there every day! Thoughts?

 

[FarmGirl01]

Sounds like she wants to be broody. Maybe she can't make up her mind.

 

[sourland]

Going broody.

 

[girlychick]

Sounds like she's going broody.
LOL idk why this story made me laugh xD

 

[teach1rusl]

She's thinking about going broody, but may not go. My BO will take spells like that, but has never gone full blown broody yet. I just leave her be unless there's a line forming to get into a nest box. If/when your girl goes full blown broody, she won't leave at all at first, and then maybe just for a few minutes once or twice a day.

 

[Mrs. K]

My BO did that for about a week, before she got really serious and set. Start looking for some fertilized eggs or collecting your own. Cause there is nothing sweeter than a hen and chicks. I will never go to an incubator or bought chicks again!

 

[Supernatural]

Thanks, everyone! I wish I could let her hatch some chicks, but we're in town with a small coop, and our five hens are just about all we can handle. My girls are destined to be old maids.

Is there any reason I have to do anything with a broody hen? I was thinking of just leaving them be, unless for some reason they all decide to be broody at once. So far we're only getting 3 eggs a day, and that's working pretty well, but if it dropped down to one - or none - well, I'd hate to buy eggs at the store now that we've all been spoiled on fresh *real* eggs.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Being broody is hard on them. Thye don't eat and drink enough to keep their strength up. They are more susceptable to disease and parasites. If you don't give her eggs to hatch, I think it is much kinder to break her from being broody than to watch her run herself down healthwise.

 

[ChixMama]

Our BO (Daffodil) is doing the same thing!!! When I go out to check on eggs she'll make this screeching sound when she sees someone--really prehistoric sounding. She also clucks a strange noise & is puffed up almost all the time as she walks around. Luckily she's sweet enough when I have lifted her out of the nest box--it's too dang hot here right now (100+) for her to sit in there too long. Since she's been broody it seems she's been more of a target for our bossy Barred Rock (that's in another post). I'll be watching the post to see what others have to share

...we're at our max in # of chickens, too.