Young broody hen

[BarleySugar]

On Thursday night I panicked when shutting up the girls, there was only 5, not 6. I checked round the garden, OH and Son No2 even left the football, but we couldn't see her. Then I checked the nestbox, she was settled in on one egg that had been laid late! I turfed her out, took the egg, but yesterday morning she was back in there with 3 eggs from the others that morning. Then again later when I collected another 2 eggs. Today she was back in, so I got her out and closed the coop so she couldn't go back as everyone had laid. So noisy, she really did protest, but eventually started scratching around the garden with the others. I was surprised, I only got her as a POL at Easter, and she's a hybrid.

[petal]

Is she fluffing herself up and growling? Sometimes they loiter on eggs for a while whilst waiting to lay their own and sqwauk if interrupted.

[BarleySugar]

She in there whenever she can, I have to push her out with a long handled spoon, I think she's peck me if she could get me, growling and protesting. No eggs yet today, but she's in there, all fluffed up, filling the box. I have found some of the others in the nest box when I've gone to collect eggs a bit early but their reactions are totally different, and I just let them be.

[kathyd]

Hi BS. I didn't know they got broody so young! One of my young ones keeps getting broody, but she must be almost a year old by now. She choses to sit right in the middle of the 'litter' area, in front of the 2 nest boxes at the back. I've just let it run its course, turfing her off the nest several times a day and removing any eggs, but not worried too much about stopping her broodiness - so she sat on an empty nest for 3 full weeks, was OK for about a week and then started again for another 3 full weeks! I did make sure that I lifted her by hand each time, despite the grumbling noises, stroking and talking to her first but definitely letting her know who was in control - I think she even began to enjoy the attention eventually . If she'd been vicious I would have worn my gardening gloves, but still not let her 'win'. I also created new nest boxes for the others, using either plastic boxes with bin liners over the front, or cardboard boxes (our coop is inside an outbuilding so plenty of room and cardboard is no problem). And because she's near the bottom of the hierarchy, most of the others ignored her after a while and pushed past her to get to the old nest boxes anyway if they wanted to. On the bright side, she's much easier to pick up and handle now, having become used to it over the past couple of months! Lol . One of my older hybrids also has broody tendancies, but not to the same extent - I thought hybrids had broodiness bred out of them?

[BarleySugar]

Yuki finally has given up on the broodiness, collected 3 eggs today that were cold, and she came out of the coop with the others this morning, no need to turf her out. What really surprised me though was yesterday she'd settled on two eggs, and had the younger of my new Skylines (Dawn), cuddled up with her as well, a wing protectively positioned. As Dawn had been getting a bit of a rough deal from the others I left them too it, I hadn't the heart to disturb them. Maybe Yuki thought one of the eggs had finally hatched into an enormous chick, and decided she didn't want to risk getting another

I have to admit I was really surprised at her going broody so quickly, especially being a hybrid, but her behaviour was exactly as described for a broody hen.