Crazy Broody Hen

[Stubbornhillfarm]

I have one hen sitting in a nesting box with several eggs tucked under. You know...safely 2 ft off the ground, walls on 3 sides.

AND THEN....

I have this hen. Sitting on an 8 x8, six feet up in the air with no sides anywhere. Crazy bird!

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

she reminds me of a crazy robin we had in my parents' backyard one year! she'd hang over the nest just like that on hot days. have you checked to see if she has any eggs up there? does she growl and screech at you too?

 

[canesisters]

Oh good grief!

Do you think that you could somehow attach a dog crate or something up there?? Or better yet, move her .... is she sitting on any real eggs or just on imaginary ones???

 

[ducks4you]

Make her a box and move her, and the eggs. She can't transport them back up there. Chances are good she will abandon the eggs.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Oh she has a least one egg under her. I didn't bother her too much because litterally there is a 4 inch gap where the roof comes down. If she moves enough that egg is going to be on the ground outside in a jiffy!

I didn't move her yet, because in the past, we have not had good success with these ladies after moving them. They don't seem to really care for that too much and abandon their eggs. Tried that a few times last year. (Austrolorps go broody pretty regularly) Last year the only time we had success was when we left one alone and she did her thing. She had 3 eggs. 1 didn't develope, 1 hatched and died, and 1 made it. That is until a hawk got it about 2 months later.

There isn't even anything soft up there.

Most likely I will move her and see what happens. She may abandon the egg, but if I don't move her, chances are good the egg is going to end up on the ground at some point in time. I would feel bad if she nurtured it half way through or almost till the end and then lost it on the ground.

 

[ducks4you]

She'll recover. After I butchered "Chewbacca's" two older hens he pouted. Then I moved him and gave him two more hens--NOT his. Now crowing bc he's got some new "ladies."

 

[bj taylor]

these chickens. they live life according to their own rules don't they? she obviously isn't giving serious thought to baby safety.

 

[thistlebloom]

Funny hen! She doesn't look very comfortable though. I guess there's a trend setter in every crowd.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My Australorps are fairly broody too. This one is due to hatch next Tuesday. At least shes in a nest like your other one.

I love your photo. That is a classic. One thing I keep hearing on BYC is how the nests have to be on the floor, totally closed in, and with a curtain across the opening to keep it really dark or they just wont lay there. Yeah, right.

People all the time want to know what the rules are for chicken behavior. There may be a few trends but there are no rules. A chickens gonna do what a chickens gonna do.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

tell that to my chickens anytime! they'll just look at you and lay the egg right there! i've had one lay an egg in the palm of my hand in bright daylight!

eta, oh yeah, and this hen still hasn't learned to lay the egg in a nest box! anywhere she wants to lay it she will! most times in the middle of the run or right in front of the door of the coop.