It does not sound to me as if she is broody yet, only thinking about it. A hen will lay anywhere from three to a dozen eggs before finally setting them. A hen that is not broody will sometimes sit at the nesting site for an hour or two before finally laying an egg. Some hens in the process of laying will puff out and protest when disturbed, whether they are broody or not. If you have been regularly removing her eggs up until now, she may decide not to set on them, but may resume laying. She can go either way. I have two hens right now that are NOT setting on eggs or have chicks but they have been putting on the broody hen act for at LEAST a month now. SOME hens never go broody at all while others are undecided. I have a Wyandotte hen who is six years old and has only been broody twice in her life, though had plenty of opportunities to go broody. A full broody will also begin to cluck. OTOH, some really tame broody hens will not puff out or protest at all when disturbed. I have had a few Silkie hens who allowed me to check on their eggs and chicks with no reaction at all. They knew I was no threat to them.
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