That is a bit weird. I don't have any advice for you. I was reading through this and was agreeing with animallover - but that really wasn't the answer.
The mysterious sitting hen
- Thread starter K0k0shka
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #12
I guess as long as there's no danger to her health, then it doesn't matter. She still lays for me so it's not like I'm missing any eggs either. So there's nothing to be done. I just wanted to post an update in case anybody else is going through this and is as confused as I am. When I have a question, I always look it up to see if anybody else's been through the same thing, to see how it went for them, and people's stories are very helpful to me. So I'm just logging this one for learning's sake. The takeaway: chickens are weird and can apparently stay suspended in pseudo-brood-mode for months at a time, but they are okay, so no need to worry
- Thread starter
- #13
UPDATE: Seems like it's been exactly a year since I started this thread, so I thought I'd update it.
Guess what - she's still sitting!!!!
But.
I have found a pattern. She only sits during the active, fertile season. Once she molts and closes up shop for the winter (she takes a 5-month-long winter break), the weird sitting stops, too. She's perfectly normal during the inactive season. Then, once she resumes laying, the sitting resumes as well! Same as before - not fully broody, voice is normal, she lays eggs, she doesn't overnight in the nesting box (or spend any time in there other than to lay). She just also sits under her favorite bush a whole lot. She's acting perfectly normal other than that. She's second in command and looks healthy.
And recently, we've had a plot twist. I'm letting a (real) broody raise a couple of chicks. When the weird hen saw the chicks for the first time, she was transfixed! She stared at them for a very long time, and then.... She started broody-clucking at them! However, she does it selectively and only to them. She'll then turn around and address me in her normal voice. It's been two weeks now that the chicks have been living with the flock, and this hen regularly clucks the broody cluck at the chicks, but uses her normal voice with the rest of the flock and with me. I've never seen this before, it's so odd and cool! Usually once their voice breaks, that's it - they're broody for real and they'll use that voice all the time, until their broodiness breaks. All or nothing. But she switches "languages" based on context. Is that common? I'm very impressed. She does not want the chicks and has not tried to steal them or anything - in fact, she doesn't want them in her personal space and will discipline them (gently) if they get too close. But she changes her voice with them.
And, plot twist #2 - she has finally taken her pseudo-broodiness one level up - she has tried to spend the past two nights in the nesting box! I move her out and then she spends the day outside (under her bush or clucking at the chicks), then back to the box at night. So, still not "real broody", but I'm guessing the presence of the chicks has kicked her up a notch and now she's one step closer to broodiness.
What a weird chicken!
Here she is (the yellow one), with the broody and her chicks.
Guess what - she's still sitting!!!!
But.
I have found a pattern. She only sits during the active, fertile season. Once she molts and closes up shop for the winter (she takes a 5-month-long winter break), the weird sitting stops, too. She's perfectly normal during the inactive season. Then, once she resumes laying, the sitting resumes as well! Same as before - not fully broody, voice is normal, she lays eggs, she doesn't overnight in the nesting box (or spend any time in there other than to lay). She just also sits under her favorite bush a whole lot. She's acting perfectly normal other than that. She's second in command and looks healthy.
And recently, we've had a plot twist. I'm letting a (real) broody raise a couple of chicks. When the weird hen saw the chicks for the first time, she was transfixed! She stared at them for a very long time, and then.... She started broody-clucking at them! However, she does it selectively and only to them. She'll then turn around and address me in her normal voice. It's been two weeks now that the chicks have been living with the flock, and this hen regularly clucks the broody cluck at the chicks, but uses her normal voice with the rest of the flock and with me. I've never seen this before, it's so odd and cool! Usually once their voice breaks, that's it - they're broody for real and they'll use that voice all the time, until their broodiness breaks. All or nothing. But she switches "languages" based on context. Is that common? I'm very impressed. She does not want the chicks and has not tried to steal them or anything - in fact, she doesn't want them in her personal space and will discipline them (gently) if they get too close. But she changes her voice with them.
And, plot twist #2 - she has finally taken her pseudo-broodiness one level up - she has tried to spend the past two nights in the nesting box! I move her out and then she spends the day outside (under her bush or clucking at the chicks), then back to the box at night. So, still not "real broody", but I'm guessing the presence of the chicks has kicked her up a notch and now she's one step closer to broodiness.
What a weird chicken!
Here she is (the yellow one), with the broody and her chicks.
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