How to Break a Broody Hen

[TheSpiceGirls]

OH, I did. Last year. She went broody at just 6 months of age. Broke her and she went broody again a month later. So I let her sit to see if she had the will to stick with it. At 21 days I ran to the feed store and bought three sexed Spanish Andalusians day old chicks and tucked them under her. OH, the cuteness that followed. But now I have the 6 hens which really is my max. They barely fit into their little coop and we get more eggs than the two of us can eat.

And it's a bit of an effort to keep mama and babies separated from the big girls, keeping the feed separate, etc. I was tempted to offer her up to raise babies for someone else and then give them to them. But I really do have quite a bit going on in my world right now and so it's just bad timing.

But I do hope to let her be a mama again one day. She was the BEST mama I could have ever hoped for in a hen.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Here's a link to my blog with my mama hen and her babies. She'd eve let the little ones hop up on her back and ride around. It was just too cute for words.

http://the-spice-girls.blogspot.com/2012/08/mama-says-eat-your-veggies-so-youll.html

 

[oktx]

Well today's Buffy's freedom day. Cross your fingers for me and her.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Keep an eye on her. When I turn mine lose from their broody pen, they usually appear fine at first. But I'll go out an hour or two later and find them in a nest box. Usually, one more day in the broody breaker does the trick.

And then sometimes, they are just over it.

I have one in my broody pen and today is day three. I can tell she's getting over it and we'll see how she does this afternoon at free range time. But I suspect she's going to have to stay in there till tomorrow. She's REALLY broody

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

I have a question.

I have a BO who has gone broody many times. I separate her in a dog crate for 3-4 days to break her and put her back with the flock. But while I have her separated I let her free range w/ the flock for about an hour in the afternoon. She's a VERY docile broody. Has never once pecked at me or any of her flock mates. And when she's broody like this, if any other hen gets near her, she makes that turkey pose.

It's that turkey post that some of my other hens find threatening. And this time, they are fighting w/ her. They stand up tall, raise their hackle feathers and go AT each other. The Alpha, who doesn't care about her turkey pose and leaves her alone, then comes and breaks up the fight.

Well, today it was really bad. She got into it with just about everyone else in the flock. So even though she's not headed for the coop and nests, I put her back in the dog crate. I just can't risk having an injured bird.

Why is this happening? I'm thinking the other birds view her turkey pose as submissive and are challenging her for her rank as the 2nd in command hen.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Whenever I put a hen in the Broody Buster I have them stay in it continually for the 3-5 days it takes to break their mood, I don't let them out to interact with their flock-mates until they're back to their "regularly scheduled programming." I've observed my other broody hens who will act & pose the way you described when they come off their nest for their daily coffee break. They cluck & bluck & puff out like that, a way to say "outta my way, I'm a hen with an important job to do!"

Sometimes the other hens will fuss back at them, other times they'll just stay out of the broody's way.

If you just kept your hen in the Buster cage until she was through, would the other hens contend with her upon her release?

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Okay. Good advice. I worried that keeping her separated that long would make for a struggle come flock integration time. That she had been separated and they would take over her position in the pecking order.

Now when I let them mingle, I let her out into the big garden, then the others out of their run into the big garden so on neutral turf.

This morning, she was still making a few broody sounds in the dog crate but usually she's over it in three days and today is day four. She was in there for four nights. So I took her back out into the run. There was a bit of tussling and she delivered one good peck to each of the three hens who are below her on the pecking order.

I tossed out a bunch of spinach to get everyone distracted and mingling and then just watched and all seemed okay. I checked back in an hour and they were all together preening (minus one who had gone off to lay an egg). So I think she's over it and we're back to being okay.

I learn a little something each time I break her. I think next time, when I integrate her, I'll do it at night again. Put her back up on the roost at night when she's sleepy and so is everyone else. Let her wake up with the flock as though she was never gone.

I know breaking her is WAY harder on me than it is on her. And she's clearly going to be my problem broody so I need to just get over it. I should probably ask around if anyone wants her to raise young and let her be a mama again. She didn't go broody for at least 6-8 months after that. I think she got it out of her system a bit.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

I also really appreciate everyone's constructive advice here. It's VERY helpful. The moral support is just what I need to do this stuff.

 

[JLB]

Sunny Side up,

Your description of broodiness was helpful to me first time my Buff Opington went wacko on us. This year has been different, though, and I wonder if you've ever seen this : Our Buff is quite healthy. Two days ago she suddenly refused all food with "dinosaur" broody growls back at us. But she wasn't sitting on the nest as she usually does when broody. Instead she was listless, depressed, just sitting fluffed out in the yard. We thought she was sick and so did the vet. We returned with dewormer and anti-biotic though and no distinct diagnosis. Upon return from the Vet she's suddenly perky and exhibiting broody behaviour, though she's still laying! Any ideas?

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Okay, I'm no expert and still learning. But she does sound broody.

My BO was showing signs of being broody and I waited until she was sleeping in a next before I pulled her out and put her in the broody breaker pen. I put her in there Monday night. Tuesday she was fine. Wednesday morning I went out to see her and she had laid an egg in there. And she was TOTALLY broody. No egg Thursday or today.

So she very well could be broody and that was her last attempt at making a baby.