Cochins, Cornish Game, Silkies, Brahmas, Marans, Turkens, Orpingtons, and many others are all part of the broody family. Some chickens are more often broody than others, while some will never be broody in their entire life. All hybrid layers, leghorns, polishes, and a few others are all breeds that are most likely to NOT go broody. Not all hens go by these lists of broody and non-broody, though. The rarest of hybrids will sit while some Orpingtons will avoid the eggs thier entire life. Usually a hen will sit for a little after laying an egg until it dries off, but these outcasts will sometimes run from the coop the second after they lay the egg. But sometimes you could take advantage of their broodiness. Instead of an incubator, hatching eggs the natural way works much better. The hen turns the eggs, heats them, and does everything. The only thing you have to do is candle the eggs every once in a while (which is optional). View attachment 1484916
Although, a broody hen cannot always be a good thing. They do not lay eggs while in this phase, and also become mean and overprotective of the eggs she's sitting on. If the eggs are not fertile, and you don't plan to hatch eggs, this can be a problem. If the hen has eggs to sit on, she will supposedly sit on them until they hatch. If they aren't fertilized, you now have a useless broody hen that will be sitting on non-fertile eggs for quite some time. There are a couple ways to get rid of, or "break" the broodiness, though. There are two main ways: 1) If you have just noticed a hen has been sitting for a while, the easy way is to simply take the hen out, disassemble the nest, and free range them. After a few hours, let them back in the run. If she goes straight back to the disassembled nest. Take her out and isolate her. An isolated area without a nest is helpful to break the broodiness. Keep her in there for a few days and try again. If she still is intent on going back to the nesting box, repeat or keep her in there for the time being.
Isolated areas are also useful for mothers raising chicks.
2) If your hen has been broody for a long time, the most efficient way to break their broodiness is to bring them inside the house. A chicken diaper would be helpful for this, unless you would like an unexpected mess. With the diaper on, let them walk around. They will soon get used to the environment and settle down or look for a snack. Once you put her back, she will have forgotten about the broodiness and go back to normal, foraging and hopefully laying eggs within a week or two.
Although, a broody hen cannot always be a good thing. They do not lay eggs while in this phase, and also become mean and overprotective of the eggs she's sitting on. If the eggs are not fertile, and you don't plan to hatch eggs, this can be a problem. If the hen has eggs to sit on, she will supposedly sit on them until they hatch. If they aren't fertilized, you now have a useless broody hen that will be sitting on non-fertile eggs for quite some time. There are a couple ways to get rid of, or "break" the broodiness, though. There are two main ways: 1) If you have just noticed a hen has been sitting for a while, the easy way is to simply take the hen out, disassemble the nest, and free range them. After a few hours, let them back in the run. If she goes straight back to the disassembled nest. Take her out and isolate her. An isolated area without a nest is helpful to break the broodiness. Keep her in there for a few days and try again. If she still is intent on going back to the nesting box, repeat or keep her in there for the time being.
Isolated areas are also useful for mothers raising chicks.
2) If your hen has been broody for a long time, the most efficient way to break their broodiness is to bring them inside the house. A chicken diaper would be helpful for this, unless you would like an unexpected mess. With the diaper on, let them walk around. They will soon get used to the environment and settle down or look for a snack. Once you put her back, she will have forgotten about the broodiness and go back to normal, foraging and hopefully laying eggs within a week or two.
