Weird Attitude

[MotherHen75]

My Orpington girl has been acting weird lately, shes 6 months, and has been laying eggs for a good month and a half. Whenever I see her, her feathers are always flared and shes making strange noises. Yesterday it was when I was tucking the chickens into the coup, and today when I was getting eggs. We do have a rooster. And when shes acting up she never pecks at me or anything, you can pick her up but her feathers will still be flared. Whats up with her?

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

She might be trying to go broody.

 

[MotherHen75]

She might be trying to go broody.

Is that the typical behavior for a broody hen? She doesn’t really sit on her eggs, she might lay an egg and sit on it for an hour but she always runs off to be with the other chickens.

 

[BYCforlife]

Does she only flare up when sitting on her eggs? If so, she's probably considering going broody, but doesn't want to commit.

 

[A_Fowl_Guy]

Is that the typical behavior for a broody hen? She doesn’t really sit on her eggs, she might lay an egg and sit on it for an hour but she always runs off to be with the other chickens.

In the beginnings it is.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

Definitely broody. My BO always acts like that when she's broody but walking around on her "breaks" from sitting. If she doesn't seem sick, this is probably just what's happening.

 

[Chickassan]

If she's making short little clucks almost like she's "ticking" then she is entertaining thoughts of hatching some babies.

 

[Cadence A Waller]

Sounds just like how my slikies act when they are going to go broody!

 

[MotherHen75]

How many eggs does a hen need to have a clutch? Shes a pretty big chicken, not as big as my other orpington girl though.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

How many eggs does a hen need to have a clutch? Shes a pretty big chicken, not as big as my other orpington girl though.

Not sure. But my Oriental Gamefowl hen laid about 30 eggs before she really stopped! That is a lot for an Oriental Gamefowl. I can imagine it might even be more for a layer type hen? I've no clue as I don't own any.