Sweet hen turned aggressive and won't let others into lay

[Verboortchics]

Hello,

My favorite hen has started to be very aggressive. Towards me and the other hens. We have 12 nesting boxes. She will attack other hens if they get into ANY of the boxes. Also, she fluffs up like a turkey when I walk in to collect eggs. She is staying in the coop, but not necessarily in one box, which leads me to believe she isn't broody. But what could it be?
She is about 7 months old and she is a barnyard Delaware.

 

[R1V3R20NG]

She is broody. Some of my broodys do that too.

 

[chickens really]

Keep collecting the eggs and set her up in a Broody breaker. A crate elevated off the ground with a wire bottom.

 

[PirateGirl]

Sounds broody.
My broody would go back and forth between boxes, but always stay on a box. She would pick the one with the most eggs in it on any given day.

 

[aldarita]

She is definitely in the first stages of "broodiness" if you are planning to let her brood just let her be and if not you better break her before she settles into it.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

... My favorite hen has started to be... aggressive. Towards me and the other hens...

I don't know if she is taking to her nest or not but by her becoming aggressive now it just proves that every dog has its day.

When my hens start sitting they announce it to the world by clucking almost like they were calling chicks to them. Sort of like lay one day and sit the next. But in many many ways game hens are a Heritage Chickens "Heritage Chicken"

 

[EggWalrus]

Either break her, give her some eggs to sit on and seperate her into a brooder. Or you could just go to TSC or RK, buy her some babies, slip them under her in the dark of night, and when she gets up in the morning, she'll be a happy Momma!

 

[aart]

I had a serial broody this summer....between the times she was actually setting(and in the breaker) she was pretty aggressive within the flock and territorial about the coop and nests.

 

[EggWalrus]

I had a serial broody this summer....between the times she was actually setting(and in the breaker) she was pretty aggressive within the flock and territorial about the coop and nests.

I usually keep a dozen or so Good hatching eggs on rotation and turned daily every week. That way if one of my serial hens goes to sitting or a Momma starts laying again, I can put some eggs I want hatched under them. So far, so good, as the hatches have been out numbering the predation.

 

[aart]

I usually keep a dozen or so Good hatching eggs on rotation and turned daily every week. That way if one of my serial hens goes to sitting or a Momma starts laying again, I can put some eggs I want hatched under them. So far, so good, as the hatches have been out numbering the predation.

My setup won't tolerant constant hatching of chicks. I let her hatch in March, then had to break her 7 times over the summer....finally gave her to someone who can constantly hatch chicks.