Possible Broody and question

[Spaeth-chicks]

Hi All,

Lady Bird is my queen of the flock girl. We went out of town for a few days and when we came back there was a dozen eggs from our 7 girls in a nesting box along with my Lady Bird screaming at me. We haven't had a broody hen yet in our flock. Lady Bird will be two on May 1st. She didn't stay too long after we returned, but since then she keeps returning to the box off and on like she's trying to decide if she wants to commit. Another different than her usual behavior when I go out to visit and hang out with the flock, and she's out there, she puffs up and clucks a lot. She still wants me to hold her and cuddle her (she's my cuddly chicken), but she's acting very different. I'm pretty sure she's showing broody behavior, but I don't know for sure since I'm new at this. I went out there today on my lunch break to clean the poop boards, my daily lunch break chore. She was in the box again, puffing up and screaming at me. I attached photos of her that I just took. Does this all seem like typical broody behavior? I wonder what the odds are that she'll actually commit? I'll let her if she wants to do it.

 

[Chicken poppy]

Hi All,

Lady Bird is my queen of the flock girl. We went out of town for a few days and when we came back there was a dozen eggs from our 7 girls in a nesting box along with my Lady Bird screaming at me. We haven't had a broody hen yet in our flock. Lady Bird will be two on May 1st. She didn't stay too long after we returned, but since then she keeps returning to the box off and on like she's trying to decide if she wants to commit. Another different than her usual behavior when I go out to visit and hang out with the flock, and she's out there, she puffs up and clucks a lot. She still wants me to hold her and cuddle her (she's my cuddly chicken), but she's acting very different. I'm pretty sure she's showing broody behavior, but I don't know for sure since I'm new at this. I went out there today on my lunch break to clean the poop boards, my daily lunch break chore. She was in the box again, puffing up and screaming at me. I attached photos of her that I just took. Does this all seem like typical broody behavior? I wonder what the odds are that she'll actually commit? I'll let her if she wants to do it.

Welcome to broody hens! Happy to answer what i know!

She 100% is broody. Shes very beautiful, to. Broodies usually never stop being broody. Mine never have, and it really only happens if you try breaking them from it.

 

[SilverBirds]

100% broody. Do you have a rooster and do you want her to hatch chicks?

 

[Chicken poppy]

Oh yes, you will need a rooster for the eggs to be fertile. Or else they will not hatch. You can, always buy fertile hatching eggs offline if you really want her to hatch, though.

When buying eggs offline your not going to have as good odds of them hatching.

 

[Spaeth-chicks]

100% broody. Do you have a rooster and do you want her to hatch chicks?

Yes, we have a rooster, attached is Stormy! A rooster question, when a hen is broody does it make the rooster a little more aggressive? Yesterday Stormy went after my son (which is also a new behavior for him).

 

[SilverBirds]

Yes, we have a rooster, attached is Stormy! A rooster question, when a hen is broody does it make the rooster a little more aggressive? Yesterday Stormy went after my son (which is also a new behavior for him).

Not that I know of. How old is he?

 

[Spaeth-chicks]

Not that I know of. How old is he?

He'll also be two May 1st. We hatched him the same time as Lady Bird in an incubator two years ago. That photo is from last summer.

 

[SilverBirds]

He'll also be two May 1st. We hatched him the same time as Lady Bird in an incubator two years ago. That photo is from last summer.

It's spring time so maybe he's just having a surge of hormones?

 

[Shadrach]

Yes, we have a rooster, attached is Stormy! A rooster question, when a hen is broody does it make the rooster a little more aggressive? Yesterday Stormy went after my son (which is also a new behavior for him).

Yes sometimes. He should be more protective of the nest and his hen.
It's a problem when children may out of curiosity bother the hen or get too close to the nest.
He sounds like a good rooster, inconvenient or not.

 

[Spaeth-chicks]

Yes sometimes. He should be more protective of the nest and his hen.
It's a problem when children may out of curiosity bother the hen or get too close to the nest.
He sounds like a good rooster, inconvenient or not.

It makes sense. I was thinking it could possibly be related. She wasn't in the nesting box at the time he went after my kid. In fact she was out there with him, so it very well could have been related. I'll just have to keep an eye on it.