Questions about being broody

[CrockChickens9]

Wondering if my pullet (8 months) is showing signs of being broody or is just irritated lol. The last two mornings when I opened the run for the girls to free range a bit and get out of the way so I can do chores one has stayed in the coop in a nesting box. They are usually waiting at the door to get out. They only free range when I’m out there bc of high predator threat in my area. So they get about an hour to two hours a day so they usually don’t miss it! I went in to check on her and she has been making weird growling like noises at me when I come close to her in the nesting box. She was doing it with my other laying pullet too. I just went about my business the first day bc I assumed she was just laying but the second time I got her out of the box and she had been sitting on an egg. She put up a stink about it making some of those noises I’ve never heard her make but did not go back in. She’s eating fine. Drinking fine appears completely healthy and eventually comes out but has spent the majority of the morning in the box the last two days. Is this signs of being broody?

 

[aart]

Might be broody, might just be a lounger.
My go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

If you don't want her to hatch, this has always worked well for me:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

 

[CrockChickens9]

Ok then I’m thinking so far she’s just lounging but I’ll keep an eye out for what you described. Thanks for your help and for the link!

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've had some hens exhibit signs of being broody without them going full broody. Spending time in the nest, walking round fluffed up and clucking, and others. I've had some show these signs for up to two weeks before they either break and go back to normal or become full tilt broody. I suspect that most of the stories you read about on here about a broody breaking before hatching her eggs are that she was never fully committed to begin with.

My sign of whether she had totally flipped to being broody and deserves hatching eggs is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of sleeping in her favorite spot. One night is not enough, it has to be two nights and they have to be consecutive. This test may fail me one day but it hasn't yet.

eventually comes out but has spent the majority of the morning in the box the last two days. Is this signs of being broody?

I do not consider yours as committed.

Most of my hens lay an egg in about a half hour or so on the nest. I had one that would spend 3 hours on the nest to lay her egg. Most of my hens don't mind if another hen climbs into the nest with her to lay an egg. Many of my broody hens are OK with that. That specific hen would not allow any other hen onto her nest while she was there. A real nest hog. That hen is why I suggest you have a minimum of two nests even if you only have 3 or 4 hens.

 

[CrockChickens9]

I've had some hens exhibit signs of being broody without them going full broody. Spending time in the nest, walking round fluffed up and clucking, and others. I've had some show these signs for up to two weeks before they either break and go back to normal or become full tilt broody. I suspect that most of the stories you read about on here about a broody breaking before hatching her eggs are that she was never fully committed to begin with.

My sign of whether she had totally flipped to being broody and deserves hatching eggs is that she has to spend two consecutive nights on the nest instead of sleeping in her favorite spot. One night is not enough, it has to be two nights and they have to be consecutive. This test may fail me one day but it hasn't yet.


I do not consider yours as committed.

Most of my hens lay an egg in about a half hour or so on the nest. I had one that would spend 3 hours on the nest to lay her egg. Most of my hens don't mind if another hen climbs into the nest with her to lay an egg. Many of my broody hens are OK with that. That specific hen would not allow any other hen onto her nest while she was there. A real nest hog. That hen is why I suggest you have a minimum of two nests even if you only have 3 or 4 hens.

I think she is a bit of a nest hog and luckily I have 6 chickens with 5 boxes and only 2 are laying. My other laying pullet seems a bit nosy. Even when she has already laid she’s poking into the other one’s box which is when I tend to hear this new growling noise. Seems all I’d good for now! Thank you all for the wonderful information!