Semi-concerned, should i be worried

[tabary]

One of my BO hens (8 months old) has been acting a little odd and i'm not just wondering if i'm being justifiably concerned. She normally runs with the rest of the flock during the day doing what normal chickens do. Yesterday took her a considerable amount of time than normal to lay her egg, the egg looked normal to me. But when i approach her in the yard she does not do her normal routine (either squat or run off a bit), instead she appears to ruffle her feathers up and make a sort of fluttering or rolling cluck. She also decided to sleep in a nest box last night instead of roosting (first time i've seen her ever do that). Also this morning I checked on her when she was already in a nest box and she made the same kind of ruffled feather and fluttering cluck reaction. Am I being over concerned?, has anyone noticed a similar behavior with any of their birds?
thanks, T

 

[IroquoisEgg]

I know this behavior quite well...your little girl wants to be a mommy! She is "broody" and will continue to sit in that nest until she hatches some chicks or the broody spell passes-whichever comes first. If chicks are not in your plan, then there are ways to break the broodiness. Just search on BYC. I have 6 broodies right now and decided to buy a batch of fertile eggs and put a few under each one. She is perfectly healthy no need for concern at all. She may only sit for a few days if this is her first time, I call it practicing, so give her a few days and if she is serious and you want chicks then get her some eggs! She will not leave the nest much at all. Only to eat and drink maybe once daily, some days not at all. In this heat, I leave water available to my broodies and provide food and treats in a dish in the corner of the box. Hope you feel better!

 

[tabary]

Thanks for the quick reply, I was hoping my girl was becoming broody (that was the least serious of things i was preparing myself to have to deal with). She has been in a nest box of much of the day so far and when i checked her vent to make sure there was nothing abstractly protruding, everything looked and felt normal and she gave be a slight gentle peck... i think she was telling me to leave her alone