Broody?

[NHgirl]

I understand that a hen being "broody" means that she wants to hatch eggs, right? I am new to this... I won't be getting a rooster when I get my chicks, so will I have to be concerned with any of my hens becoming "broody"?

 

[HorsebackBrony]

They don't need a roo to get broody, but if you pick up the eggs every day so they don't pile up and the hens don't have any to sit on, that can help stop them. On a side note, some breeds are more broody than others so do your research!

 

[NHgirl]

Thank you. That makes sense. I have been researching the breeds and have seen where it says that some are more broody than others. So what does it mean if they do become broody? How would you know? What do they do? Does it harm them?

 

[HorsebackBrony]

Well, I'm fairly new to chickens myself, but from what I understand it's not good unless you want them to raise chicks themselves without nearly as much form you. When a hen goes broody her natural instinct to sit on the eggs and hatch them takes over. Unless the eggs are fertile, which requires a roo, this is problematic; they will never hatch. The hens will become obsessed with hatching the eggs, and will peck at you if you try to remove the eggs. They also will only get up once or twice a day to drink, eat, and poo, which is not good for them at all. She will probably sleep in the nest instead of the roost, which, as far as I know, isn't a problem in itself but it is a sign of broodyness.

If a hen gets broody you will have to break her of that habit. One way to do this is to separate her from the others and take her eggs away as soon as she lays them, or as quickly as possible, because, lets be real: you won't be watching her 24/7. I've heard you also should remove her room the nesting box every time you see her in there, but if shes laying an egg that might not be a good idea(?) Like I said, I'm new; my first batch of chicks is coming today, but good luck!

 

[NHgirl]

Thank you!! That explains it all. In fact, it now makes sense of a cartoon I remember seeing about Foghorn Leghorn had a chicken friend who was a bit crazy about having her own baby chicks.