Old Fashioned Broody Hen Hatch A Long and Informational Thread

[bobbieschicks]

I think she is playing with my emotions......    She is back on the nest, she did not go with the others to the roost.

Then watch her the next couple of days. If she's seriously a broody she will stop laying and stay on the nest except for short breaks to poo, eat or dust bathe.

 

[gg706]

Thank You, I have my fingers crossed!

 

[lawatt]

She gave up on it already! She sat in the box and laid an egg with the golfballs....now she is back to normal and ranging with the others. I am confused about her behavior this morning. I have never seen her like that.
dretd she looked like your avatar minus the tail as she does not have a tail...but the wings and all looked just like that. Have you had her behave as mine before she really goes broody.

one of mine did something similar, ten days ago spent a day completely hell-bent on brooding, hissing and squawking if i got close -- and then hasn't acted remotely like that since. she's only about 8-9 months old, has only been laying since new years -- maybe just too young still? don't know if that makes a difference...

 

[bobbieschicks]

one of mine did something similar, ten days ago spent a day completely hell-bent on brooding, hissing and squawking if i got close -- and then hasn't acted remotely like that since.  she's only about 8-9 months old, has only been laying since new years -- maybe just too young still?  don't know if that makes a difference...

Some girls are good young broodies. My Smokey (EE) and Topsy (Silky) were both very young when they started going broody. Just depends on the pullet. I've seen people post that their White Leghorn went broody and I previously thought that to be impossible, so anything is possible.

 

[riversedgefarm]

I was wondering if there a way to try and help a cochin go broody like I heard once leave a bunch of eggs in the nest then I heard that don't help so just wondering if there was anything that might help as I own 10 cochins and would love to hatch some eggs just need them to go broody

 

[FirewifeJess]

Quote:
Agreed. I just had a 9 month old Buff Orp go broody and she made me nervous being so young but she's a fantastic mother! She's now 3 weeks away from her 1st birthday and happily raising 4 chicks of different ages. She even accepted 4 other chicks 5 days after the first batch but I have weeded through them and gotten rid of who I don't want.

 

[Johnn]

Thaught one of my Opringtons were broody today, so relieved she wasnt in the end. I can tell just bu looking at her she would be a useless mother!!

 

[farmerfogg]

Hi everyone!

The answer to my questions may be in the 16247 replies on this thread, but I just couldn't scan anymore!

Can getting a new coop make a hen go broody? It seems like a weird coincidence that the very next day she got a super, nice new coop she started acting like this. I thought she just liked it so much, she didn't want to come out! But the signs are there: puffing up, pulling out feathers, zoning out in the nest all day.

She's the only one out there right now, (a hawk killed her sister a few months ago) and there's never been a rooster.

Should I do something to snap her out of it? Can it be done? I don't really care about the egg, it would be nice, but I just want her to be ok. Will she come out on her own? How long?

Thanks for any advice!

 

I bet she is getting acquainted to her new coop. I bet she's going to be just fine. I've noticed with mine that they don't really like changes too well. But the will adapt to new things in good time.

 

[delisha]

Jeez john..what a thing to say about your birds
Pack up them worthless birds and ship them here

Most birds hormones kick in and they might set a nest all day. Then get off. Most birds are not true brooders. They (like some one else said)dabble. They act like a broody, they sound like a broody, but they are not broody. Sometimes it is an egg that is a bit stuck and they make noises while it slowly progresses down the chute. If they are laying..they are not broody. If they do not set the nest for days, they are not broody. Observe your chickens in the nests..a broody chicken is hard to miss.



Look at both of these pictures. What one is broody? They both are on nests, they both growl if you try to take eggs, they both have stink eye for being bothered.Both have been on nests all day.





Most will know it is not the one on top..flat as a pancake is the one. A typical broody set. Take her off she will go right back and complain the whole time.

There are things you can do to encourage a hen to set a nest....Start at the beginning. Examine your birds and only let healthy specimens reproduce. Read your food labels. Do not feed soy layer. Use up the bag you have and get an all flock bag of feed with out soy. Yes it is expensive. To cut costs. Ferment that feed.
Change the feed to higher protein (18%) and add fresh greens, blueberries, kale, spinach...remove all soy from the diet. Soy is known to impeded hormones and fertility..you want the opposite. Make sure they have fresh water daily and open fresh air. Sunshine and exercise.

Right now I have a duck nest filled with eggs. The chickens love that nest. I have to pull someone off it daily. Chickens are attracted to a full nest. They just love them. If they are not filling them with eggs they are kicking in the hormones and getting that nesting feeling. So make a safe nesting area and fill it with fake eggs. 7 is a good number. They love at least 7-10 eggs. They love to lay on them. it makes them feel good. Make sure you remove the real ones daily.

 

[lawatt]

Jeez john..what a thing to say about your birds
Pack up them worthless birds and ship them here

Most birds hormones kick in and they might set a nest all day. Then get off. Most birds are not true brooders. They (like some one else said)dabble. They act like a broody, they sound like a broody, but they are not broody. Sometimes it is an egg that is a bit stuck and they make noises while it slowly progresses down the chute. If they are laying..they are not broody. If they do not set the nest for days, they are not broody. Observe your chickens in the nests..a broody chicken is hard to miss.



Look at both of these pictures. What one is broody? They both are on nests, they both growl if you try to take eggs, they both have stink eye for being bothered.Both have been on nests all day.





Most will know it is not the one on top..flat as a pancake is the one. A typical broody set. Take her off she will go right back and complain the whole time.

There are things you can do to encourage a hen to set a nest....Start at the beginning. Examine your birds and only let healthy specimens reproduce. Read your food labels. Do not feed soy layer. Use up the bag you have and get an all flock bag of feed with out soy. Yes it is expensive. To cut costs. Ferment that feed.
Change the feed to higher protein (18%) and add fresh greens, blueberries, kale, spinach...remove all soy from the diet. Soy is known to impeded hormones and fertility..you want the opposite. Make sure they have fresh water daily and open fresh air. Sunshine and exercise.

Right now I have a duck nest filled with eggs. The chickens love that nest. I have to pull someone off it daily. Chickens are attracted to a full nest. They just love them. If they are not filling them with eggs they are kicking in the hormones and getting that nesting feeling. So make a safe nesting area and fill it with fake eggs. 7 is a good number. They love at least 7-10 eggs. They love to lay on them. it makes them feel good. Make sure you remove the real ones daily.

thanks so much for the information -- i'm feeding non-soy all-natural feed, lots of kale, free-ranging whenever i'm home, a nice big run for when i'm not... but i only have three fake eggs in the nest. i will get a few more & see what happens.