Why is my sweet little "Baby" being so mean

[Auntie Em]

I have 4 chickens and all has been so awesome raising them I used to get three eggs a day... Now one of my hens has become evil pecking and not letting any other hen in the hen house to lay or eat all day long all she does is lay in the Favorite nesting box all day and growls when the other enter the house... I have removed her to allow the others to lay but then she squawks all over the yard distracting the others til they leave the nesting box to see what the commotion is.. she then takes over the house again... is this normal???

 

[junebuggena]

Sounds like she might be going broody.

 

[GitaBooks]

My hens certainly are competitive over the nest boxes. They will sit on one another, chase each other out of them, and they will even wait in line for favorite nest boxes. I'm not sure what size coop you have, or what breeds you have, but your hen could be broody. Hens that are broody are more aggressive when protecting their nests.
If the coop is small she could consider the whole coop her nest box and be protective towards it just as the dominant hen.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

 

[Auntie Em]

My coop is an old 8' x 8' old shed with two side wired with chicken wire I have three 14"x14"x18" nesting box's and a 24"x 24"x 48"L condo for them to get out of the weather. they have full run of my hug back yard.. complete with lots of watering spots and shade.. So I spoil the heck out of them with lots of water melon and frozen corn cakes for the summer... but I was not prepared for the broody thing.

how long does this last and how often will it occur.

 

[GitaBooks]

Sounds like you have some very happy chickens

Chickens that decide to go broody can be very stubborn. You could try to break her up (stop her from wanting to go broody) by taking her away from the nest boxes or keeping her in a pen without nesting material, but this can be difficult and can lead to the hen becoming stressed. Sometimes they break up right away, sometimes it can take a few days to get them to return to normal.
If you don't mind having some chicks, you could let her set. Some chickens won't move nests, but if your hen lets you move her you could place her in a large crate with some eggs and let her set. You can let her out once a day to eat and drink or, if the crate is large enough to allow her to walk around, provide her with food and water.
A broody chicken sets for 3 weeks before hatching.

If she is just being protective of a good laying area you could try providing a separate laying area for the other hens with some fake eggs to encourage laying.

I hope this helps.

 

[junebuggena]

It can last for about 3 or 4 weeks, and she won't be laying any eggs while she is sitting and for several weeks after. You can try to break her by putting her in an elevated wire crate. The idea is that the cool air circulating all around her will snap her out of it. It usually only happens once a year. But some decide to make a carrier of going broody several times a year.

 

[Auntie Em]

Oh no... LOL she just started so I have 3 weeks to go.... and in AZ it is hot every where...LOL.. ok so she will have to work thru it I will find a creat for the others to lay in so she will not scare them off.

 

[Auntie Em]

P.S. we do not have a rooster so she is brooding on my food...LOL!!

 

[fshinggrl]

P.S. we do not have a rooster so she is brooding on my food...LOL!!

yeah, if the eggs are not fertile, then I would try to break her from it. When they are not fertile, there is no magic 3 week mark. She will stay there... good luck. You can always get some fertile eggs for her if you want her to have some chicks.