Seems I'm having a problem with my RIR. She has been fluffing her feathers when she get around the two younger girls,especially when foods is involved making her weird noise. I realize that there is a pecking order,but it has drastically changed in the last week. She constantly makes strange clucking sounds all day long, always displaying her neck feathers, and has become very broody and mean. Hopefully someone can shed a little light to her behavior.
She is probably 9 months old. She is still laying her eggs daily. She usually is the first to lay and when the others try to lay she throws a fit and stays on the egg till I have to run her out! All the others are squawking and chomping at the bit. Now I have noticed that she even protests with me when I check on her. I'm not allowed any roosters where I live. Can she still become broody without a rooster? How old are they when they molt? She just seems so miserable!!!
My bantam Cochins usually start to go broody about the 9 month mark and yep, they go broody without a rooster.
Young chickens can moult as early as 6 months but this is usually just a partial moult and I do believe a hard moult is not normally until around the 18 month mark. Chickens will stop laying during a hard moult.
If she is wanting to stay on the eggs and is protesting when you check on her, she sounds broody.
My broody’s will puff up and some even peck quite hard.
A broody hen will lay a clutch of eggs [approximately 10, depending on the hen] and then she will sit on them to start the brooding process; thus ensuring they all hatch around the same time.
She may still be laying eggs because she is still ‘building up’ her clutch so to speak and her actions may be her getting ready for settling in for the brood.
If she is broody, you have a few options but the main two are 1. Try and break her or 2. Purchase some fertile eggs and let her hatch some chicks.
A Broodzilla bantam Cochin; she is all puffed up, got the stink eye happening and ready to take on all comers
Sure sounds like she is pre broody with the temperament to match. I had a bantam cochin that was a real sweetie when not broody, but when she was broody got to mess with her. The last time she was broody I had to move the feeder once the chicks hatched because five feet away wasn't enough and she wouldn't let the rest of the flock eat. I have to admit tho it was pretty funny watching a 1 1/2 lb cochin standing on a buff orpington roosters back beating on his head till he moved. 6 weeks later she was back to herself again. If she is broody like tiela said you can either break her or give her some fertilized eggs. The problem with the later is if you can't have roosters where you live you have to figure out what to do with the boys.
She might be going through a lite molt at that age which will make them grouchy but I would lean towards broody. If you need help breaking her just do a search for breaking broodys and you'll get all the info you need
