Not broody but protective?

ChirpyChicks1

Songster
6 Years
Jul 22, 2013
1,900
338
236
Kansas
Do chickens becoming protective of the nesting boxes?


I have 6 almost 19 week old chickens. All but one have large red combs/wattles and 2 aren't squatting. I've gotten 4 eggs this week, I'm assuming from the same girl since they are slowly becoming more uniform and darker in color. I have no proof of who it could be but I feel like it's Worrywart, one of my red sex links, because she's had a red comb/wattles for about a month now and has been squatting the longest. She is also the only chicken that goes into the box that I find the eggs in (that I've seen)

The second suspect is Spock, one of my black sex links. She was the second one to start squatting. It has just been over a week since the eggs started coming and Spock seems to becoming increasingly upset when I mess with the nesting boxes. I have two golf balls in each box and they always seem to be messed with so every time I'm out there I have to fix the straw and put the balls back together. Spock will stand up straighter and perk up her tail and she starts "chewing" me out every time I show interest in the boxes.

hu.gif
I'm afraid to think of what she'd be like as a broody hen lol
 
Sorry if I wasn't clear in my question. She's not on the nest, none of them ever are. All the chickens follow me into the coop anytime I go in there and if I show any interest in the nesting boxes Spock gets very upset
 
Maybe she's more upset that you are not giving her treats. They do get more vocal right before they start laying, so that could be it too.
 
Last edited:
She has always been very vocal , so vocal in fact that on the way home from buying her I was already regretting my decision :p she has gotten "worse" the past few weeks though, if that's even possible. And I'm sure she'd love treats lol but they don't get them inside the coop so there's no reason for her to associate me going in to the coop with her getting a treat.


Thanks for your reply!
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom