strange behaviour chicken;

[Corris]

I've had my girls for a few months now - six of them. They are laying and I thought were fine.

Yesterday afternoon one went in to roost early. We were digging about in the plot, so generally you would expect them all to be there for such bounty. I went in and fetched her out and she wandered about a bit but then went back to roost.

They have a bargey every night for the corner spot (which she had taken) so I thought perhaps she was just making sure she got prime location.

Well this morning she is still there. And not coming out

If you get hold of her or stroke her she puffs her feathers right out and sort of 'hisses' at you.

Any ideas?

[RichmondHens]

Sounds like she's going broody!! There's lots of stuff on here about broody hens - have a look through. Don't bother sitting her though, it's too early in the year, she will return to normal eventually. Make sure you collect the eggs daily and if she gets starts keeping the others from the nestbox then you will have to separate and "sin bin" her.

[Corris]

She isn't in the next box - she's on the perch... and has been laying only about 5 weeks or so.

Does that make any difference to your diagnosis?

I have to say she's very toasty about her underneath. Both OH and I petted and lifted her yesterday and remarked upon it. She really is noticeably warm, and sitting down on the perch rather than perching on it.

[Corris]

Right, have taken myself out there again - she is pooping fine, eating and drinking. I took her outside and put the water and scattered some food, she joined in with the others, but in short order bypassed me and went back to her perch. She is very vocal - 'carking' at me when I pick her up and sort of muttering to herself all the time I am near and in the run.

[chris]

Sounds broody to me, but perhaps getting the wrong end of the stick a little bit being so young? I have my usual one going broody again at the moment. As soon as I open the gate to the garden she starts 'barking' at me from within their run - then scoots past me at speed spitting feathers as she knows she's about to be turfed out

[Corris]

Is turfing out a 'good thing' - I could easily shut the shed so she was outdoors.

She ate and drank, but not much to be honest - she doesn't have that nice full swaying crops the other have, but she did eat and drink.

Or do I leave her to her perch?

[chris]

Well, you don't want them sitting on the eggs - mine was blocking up the nestbox, so by constantly collecting the eggs, and turfing her out I was then able to block up the nextbox. She'd then sit down by it, or on top of it, so in the end I ended up moving the food/water outside of the run and shutting the run.

It takes mine about a week or two of this to get back to normal, and then start popping eggs out shortly afterwards.

[Corris]

thankyou.

She is on the perch, so I'll just leave her I guess and fetch her out a couple of times today so I know she's eaten and drunk something.

[chris]

Here was my story about it: http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...our_55029.html

[RichmondHens]

She does sound broody, although sitting on the perch is unusual, they usually choose their favourite nestbox and don't budge. And the hot breast and undercarriage is normal too. When they are broody their temperature rises by a little bit, nature's way of keeping those eggs nice and warm.

Just carry on as you are doing, turf her out whenever you go to the henhouse, she will eat less than normal so don't worry about that. She will get food and water when she wants it although you may not see her do it, broodies like to be secretive and feed when no-one is about.

Oh, and age makes no difference to if/when they might go broody. I have a bantam who spends her life almost permanently broody. Right from a young pullet she laid a few eggs, went broody for weeks, then repeated the cycle, and she does it throughout the year, any season. Currently she is laying but showing signs of another broody spell approaching, and I have other youngsters who look like they will be broody soon too.

[frias]

I have a Warren like that. She's an ex batt and has been broody for more time than not. It's only now that she doesn't lay any more that she's given up the broodyness. I also have a Speckled that keeps going broody and a Sussex rock that's broody at the moment. She's not sitting yet but clucking constantly and fluffing herself out when I go near. I only have 5 hens so it's a bit inconvenient to have so many broodies! Oh and hen number 4 is a Welsummer so no eggs there either. Good job the Bluebell shows no sign of wanting to brood. Thought I had picked breeds not known for being broody.

[Corris]

This is a speckled.

If I turf her out far enough away from the hut she forgets she's broody and spends the rest of the day bumbling about with the others.

If I only chuck her out the door she goes back in and back on her perch. Which, incidentally, is where she sits to lay her eggs. No idea why - but they are always on the floor underneath her.

One goes UNDER the damned nestbox and three go in it.

I'm one egg down today so far - only 5.

They really are fairly stupid birds aren't they.

[Glutton4...]

...They really are fairly stupid birds aren't they.

I dunno - they seem to have us Humans trained to attend to their needs pretty well!

[Flummery]

My Pepper, a young black hybrid, went broody very young. She was a madame too! She had 2 spells of being broody last year but fortunately, since the shorter days, she's not gone off again.