Middle-aged chicken starts to brood

[froghollowfarm]

I have a buff orphington who is 2 years, 3 months old who has suddenly started acting like she's sitting on a nest. She had been a good egg layer, gave it up for a few months and just started again a couple of weeks ago. Now she won't leave the laying box except to eat and drink. She even sleeps there. Is this behavior odd, especially for an older chicken? Anything to be concerned about? Neither she nor any of the other hens has ever acted like this in the past.

 

[laceynoelle]

As long as she's not sick, then she's just broody. It hits some later, and actually, most chickens arent supposed to go broody thier first season anyway (so Ive read? Mine have

) Is she collecting eggs, acting territorial, and clucking a lot? Broody. No? She might be sick.

 

[centrarchid]

Hen in question not old enough to be middle aged. Give her a few more years for that.

 

[Achickenwrangler#1]

is she on fertile eggs? and do you wat chicks? it is kinda late in the season but it sure sounds broody...

 

[WoodlandWoman]

She's still quite young. A lot of chickens that aren't particularly broody breeds don't go broody until after they're hens, not when they're pullets. Mine have also been the broodiest their first year as hens and less so as they got a little older.

 

[gryeyes]

My two year old BO is broody right now, too, but this is her third session. Two years is NOT middle aged! (As others have already said.)

She's brooding with a blue Orpington, sharing nest space under a step in the coop, but each on a separate clutch of eggs.

Hopefully yours IS broody, and not I'll. I suspect it's the former. Sure hope she's got fertile eggs under her.