Broody Hen Thread!

[aart]

I have 12 Buff Orpington hens and 1 BO rooster. One of the girls went broody a while back and is now a great momma to her week old chicks. Now two other girls are showing signs of going broody and more chicks are not something we need right now. How do I discourage them? I have been taking them out of the nest and putting them outside to cool down their bellies but each time I go in the coop they are back in the nests! Is having the rooster with the flock encouraging the hens to go broody or is this just a trait of BO chickens? If I block off the nests at night will that force them to sleep on the roost with the other chickens and break the broodiness or will they just take up brooding on the floor? Open to any suggestions. This site is so helpful and I really appreciate everyone's help.......THANKS!

You can put them in a wire bottom cage with no bedding for a few days to break their broodiness:

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a few bricks right in the coop and I would feed her some watered down crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.

 

[Chang1993]

Here are my broody hens:

She a bantam x standard. Due date is 3/26/15.
She will hatch some Top hat babies, since rooster is a thai x silkie.


She is a full blood Thai. Due date on 3/28/15.
Probably will hatch some EE babies with muff and beard, since rooster is a full blood EE.


She is a Mexican Game x Thai hen. Due date 3/30/15.
Her eggs are foster because I recently bought her with some white eggs.
Her babies might be Barred Rock x Thai x Mexican Game.


My hens are 6 1/2 month old, still very young.

 

[notabadegg]

I have not finished reading through this whole thread- it is along one- so excuse me if these questions have already been answered. This is my first broody, she is a one year old maran. She seems to have four eggs or thereabouts under her. She also has one egg beside her but not under....is this a bad egg? Should I put it back under her? Or should I assume she knows best and leave it be? The eggs she is on are random eggs from my flock. She sat on 7 eggs for one day but left just before bedtime, that was earlier this week. Now, all the chickens have gone to bed and she is still on her eggs. If she stays all night and tomorrow, can I assume she will see it through? Also, I fed everyone treats right at bedtime and they all came flying down from their roosts but she stayed in her box, on her eggs. Are these good signs that she is truly broody? One more thing, her whole butt is hanging out of the nest box, almost like when she is up on the roost, but her front is covering all her eggs...is this another situation where I should just let her do what works for her?

 

[chickalicia]

My BBred hen just went broody week or so ago and my other hen isn't laying eggs or roo not mating w her. Why is that?

 

[MelissaZeno]

How long does it take for a hen to go broody? Are there initial signs that lead up to that or is something that seems to happen overnight?

 

[chickalicia]

First their hormones from what I understand. Mine went around 7-10 months old. Started then. When she's sitting on her eggs and growls and warns other hens back off she's broody. Lol. I love it when they do. How they are so protective like that then when they hatch how loving mothers they are

 

[fisherlady]

My BBred hen just went broody week or so ago and my other hen isn't laying eggs or roo not mating w her. Why is that?

The roo not mating with the non-broody hen shouldn't have anything to do with the other hen being broody, unless the 2nd hen is also beginning to feel broody and is rejecting his advances. As far as the 2nd hen not laying eggs...again, she may be starting to go broody herself or it may be an illness that you haven't recognized yet. I would suggest you give her a thorough exam to make sure she doesn't have mites/parasites, check for worms and other caused for her to quit laying.

How long does it take for a hen to go broody? Are there initial signs that lead up to that or is something that seems to happen overnight?

Often it is a process which takes a few days, usually folks don't pick up the signs until they find a hen parked in a box. If you notice a hen running around looking very ruffled and grumpy and uttering a low 'clook, clook, clook' for no obvious audience you should start watching to see if she ends up in a box within a few days.

 

[MelissaZeno]

Thank you. I have only noticed that the hens seem to spend longer in the nest but they are still laying and they are getting fussy when we disturb them. They have also been pecking a bit when we collect the eggs. They haven't hurt us when they peck.

 

[chickalicia]

Thank you fisherlady she has gone broody before my roo pecks at her. Maybe that's him upset w her not letting him lol. I noticed I think it's her the poop is not normal it's all brown.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Here are my broody hens:

She a bantam x standard. Due date is 3/26/15.
She will hatch some Top hat babies, since rooster is a thai x silkie.


She is a full blood Thai. Due date on 3/28/15.
Probably will hatch some EE babies with muff and beard, since rooster is a full blood EE.


She is a Mexican Game x Thai hen. Due date 3/30/15.
Her eggs are foster because I recently bought her with some white eggs.
Her babies might be Barred Rock x Thai x Mexican Game.


My hens are 6 1/2 month old, still very young.

Welcome to BYC and the Broody Thread!

What lovely ladies. Very contented broodies!
LofMc