Strange Strange Hen

[chickenlittle1980]

Ok i have seen pictures of broody hens.... My hen Spot walks around the back yard all puffed up wings out etc........She is not sitting on any egss but she does lay could she be trying to go broody?

 

[teach1rusl]

Is she making odd sounds too??? She may very well be "thinking about" going broody. My only hen to go broody began acting funny about two days before she began sitting. She then laid for two days, and then stopped laying.

 

[chickenlittle1980]

no strange sounds she does do this low and slow cluking thing and this is been going on a week other than her strange behavior everything is going great

 

[SmartyChick]

sounds like she may be on the verge of going broody. Mine did that too before going broody, watch for other signs like plucking her chest bare and being REALLY grumpy! Mine did more of a high pitched wail, not a low clucking, but my hen is a little cuckoo.


Congrats on your potention mother to be!

 

[chickenlittle1980]

if she does go broody is it ok to leave her in the coop with the others? I am really new I dont have a bator so she will just have to hatch them her self

 

[teach1rusl]

If she goes broody, you can leave her in there until the eggs hatch. Many move them at that point, in case the others don't take well to the chicks (chicks have been killed by aggressive adults). You'll want to make sure that food and water are within close reach, as they don't tend to take care of themselves when they are broody. I took my broody off the nest every day (usually 2x a day) to encourage her to poop, eat and drink. She still weighs next to nothing now...lost a LOT of weight. I'd take treats to her daily as well to get some nutrients in her.

 

[MareeZoCool]

My hen did that weird puffing up with her wings spread out thing! THEN she went broody. She hatched out 3 sweet peeps April 22,23,& 24. That 3 weeks of her setting felt like 3 months to me.

 

[chickenlittle1980]

Lets keep our fingers crossed she does ....oh an after 21 days there are babies I would bring then in scared somthing would happen to them!