Broody Hen Thread!

[BBsChicks]

One of our Ameraucana hens has gone broody and there seems to be no dissuading her. We don't have a rooster. This behavior has been going on for 2 months. We take her off the box, make sure she gets food and water, move her a 1/4 acre away but she get back on the box as soon as we're not paying attention. She would sleep there if we let her but I put her on the roost almost every night. How can we help break this lifestyle? She will get off the empty box she's on and move to another box that has eggs, other than that, she's perfectly happy to stay put 24/7

 

[microchick]

Aren't they cute?

When you want them to go broody, they aren't and when you don't want them to, you have 5 go at once.

There are several good threads on BYC titled, How To Break a Broody Hen that basically tell you how to utilize a wire cage to put her in. It isn't hard and generally works in about 3 days.

Be warned tho that from my experience with a broody buster pen, they do work, but my hens always return to being broody a month or so down the line. Those hormones are powerful stuff. So be prepared to have to deal with her behavior returning.

Any chance you could gift her a few fertile eggs so she gets it out of her system? I've seen hens be happy with two eggs to drool over and hatch.

My Maddy is still on her fake eggs as of this morning. I plan on switching them out tonight if she makes it through the day.

Has anyone ever heard or experienced a hen that is broody but will only stay on a nest if a certain number of eggs are under her? That seems to be what is going on with Maddy and I haven't ran into this before.

 

[redsix]

Aren't they cute?

When you want them to go broody, they aren't and when you don't want them to, you have 5 go at once.

There are several good threads on BYC titled, How To Break a Broody Hen that basically tell you how to utilize a wire cage to put her in. It isn't hard and generally works in about 3 days.

Be warned tho that from my experience with a broody buster pen, they do work, but my hens always return to being broody a month or so down the line. Those hormones are powerful stuff. So be prepared to have to deal with her behavior returning.

Any chance you could gift her a few fertile eggs so she gets it out of her system? I've seen hens be happy with two eggs to drool over and hatch.

My Maddy is still on her fake eggs as of this morning. I plan on switching them out tonight if she makes it through the day.

Has anyone ever heard or experienced a hen that is broody but will only stay on a nest if a certain number of eggs are under her? That seems to be what is going on with Maddy and I haven't ran into this before.

Never heard of only staying on the nest based on the number of eggs in the next. I've had broody hens stay on the next with zero eggs under them.

 

[billygoat162]

A couple broodies I have raising chicks. They hatched a batch of black Australorp eggs 4 days ago, and during the hatch I slipped some feedstore chicks under them without anybody noticing. The buff has 6, but most of them are hiding.

 

[microchick]

Cute billygoat162. Buff O's make the best photos when it comes to getting them to pose with chicks.

My Buff O, Maddy finally FINALLY committed herself to eggs today. Right now she has 5 of my OEGB possible Welsummer cross eggs under her and three fakes. I was afraid this girl would bolt again if I dropped the number of eggs under her lower than 4. This isn't the first time I've seen one of my Buff O's choose a different nest other than the one she is brooding on. I had a hen incubating 8 eggs, get off her nest and sit on a nest with 10 eggs in it. Today I saw Maddy do the same thing. I hadn't isolated her yet as I was waiting for her to commit 100% to brooding. She was on 4 eggs today in her favorite nest box, I left the coop for a few minutes and came back to find her sitting on the middle nest box that had 12 eggs in it. I told her those weren't her eggs and showed her the right nest box and eggs. She kept looking over the divider between the nest boxes until I picked up one of the fake eggs and waved it under her nose. She finally acquiesced and settled back down in her original box.

Tonight I put up the broody cage so she can't leave her own 'space' and eggs. I'm hoping at this point that they are fertile. I'll know in 6 days when I candle for the first time.

As funny as it sounds I swear hens can count.

 

[mich9510]

Yea she was off the nest most of the day yesterday...
Now shes sitting and screaming at anyone or any thing that gets close.
I wish she would just make up her mind!
Although ayam cemanis are not known to be good mothers...
Is this normal for a first time broody?

She's been on the nest for a solid 48 hrs now. Might be time to move her. (Again)

 

[HeavensHens88]

I'm keeping a close eye on my broody. She pecks the chicks every time they attempt to emerge from beneath her body- but not hard enough to make them peep. It's probably just a reminder that they're only 2 days old, and still too young to face the world, but...
I've never had a broody do that before or maybe I just never noticed it.

 

[jnckids]

I asked this question earlier and wanted to get an opinion again. I just think there was a lot of posting at the time and it was missed. My broody has now been sitting for 6 days today is day 7. I want to relocate her since every time she gets up my clumsy, no care, leghorns jump on the nest because my broody is sitting in the "preferred" box. The broke one egg on day 2 and when my broody gets up she has to fight her way back onto the nest. I would just rather move her.

When and how is the best to do so? Thanks.

 

[LadyCluck77]

I asked this question earlier and wanted to get an opinion again. I just think there was a lot of posting at the time and it was missed. My broody has now been sitting for 6 days today is day 7. I want to relocate her since every time she gets up my clumsy, no care, leghorns jump on the nest because my broody is sitting in the "preferred" box. The broke one egg on day 2 and when my broody gets up she has to fight her way back onto the nest. I would just rather move her.

When and how is the best to do so? Thanks.

At night time, quite late- around 10:00 or later if you can do it.
If possible, prepare a fully private spot in a quiet place with lots of shavings, a fluffy nest (you can use hay or lots of shavings) This can be done the day before for preparation.
If possible, have someone help you. Gently lift the hen, no talking, grab her eggs (big pockets on your coat help) and walk over to the spot, minimal flashlight use. Put the eggs down, then put the hen down on her eggs. Hopefully she sits. If not, by next morning she will be up, and not broody anymore.
If it works, she'll be happily sitting.
*I have done this a few times, only one hen (A blue Ameraucana) was NOT successful. She had scattered the eggs and was glaring at me with hatred in her eyes the next day. My silkies have always been fine with it. What breed is your broody?

 

[jnckids]

Quote: She is a Partridge Brahma. She is a first time broody about 10 months old. She is only my second broody. My last we only had 5 eggs under her and we had to move her at the last minute. Fortunately, it went ok. She had one hatch and it was ice cold out and for some reason it was out of the nest. So with no incubator, I created a nest in a old dog crate, warmed the shavings, warmed a towel, wrapped the eggs in a warm towel ran them in and put them in the nest, grabbed mamma and ran her in the crate, and waited.. fortunately, after about 30 min, she climbed back up on the nest and set and hatched 2 more of the 5. The remaining were not fertile.. the first chick didn't make it.



I just wanted to plan for it this time... LOL