Any advice regarding this broody hen?

[SIMZ]

We have a consistently broody hen that is a year old. She has laid for about 3 weeks of her life because she is simply always broody. We finally put eggs under her. She broke 3 eggs (ate 2) and a few rotted after being splattered with goo from the broken eggs. She has 3 left that are due to hatch on Sunday. She decided yesterday to stop sitting on the eggs. She has been separated from her flock mates in our "broody coop", so that isn't the problem.

I'm very frustrated with her right now. What causes them to stop sitting this late in the game? Are the eggs bad or is she pointless as a broody?

 

[SIMZ]

She's been off those eggs for an hour and a half now - again. I brought them in and candled them and saw movement in one and the other two dark eggs are definitely in later stages of development, even though I wasn't able to tell if there was movement or not. They're now in the incubator.

She went in her little coop and looked around and went back to happily scratching in the run. Ugh.

 

[sumi]

Thank goodness you have an incubator! I would break a broody who behaves like that. Put her in a wire bottom cage for a few days with some food and water. That way they can't maintain their high, "broody" body temperature and give up.

 

[SIMZ]

That's the advice I'm looking for -- she's not a good broody, correct? We let another hen hatch eggs in the spring and she did just that -- hatched the eggs and raised the chicks.

I've spent all year breaking this broody. She lays for about a week and then goes broody and I start find gross eggs. Then I move her into the "bad girl pen" and it takes about a week to get her acting normal again. After about two weeks she'll lay for a week and then it starts all over.

I'm thinking cull.

 

[NovaAman]

X2! In my opinion, she's proved not fit. Every time she is broody, break her.

 

[NovaAman]

Sorry, my X2 was to the PP... But yeah, on the other I guess. One week of eggs a month... So she eats more than she returns, damages the eggs she does sit on... Hard for me to imagine. I am thinking a nice warm creamy chicken soup this winter would be good.

 

[SIMZ]

Yes, that's what I'm thinking. I hatched her and she's a sweet hen on those normal weeks. We're thinning our flock for winter and this was my last attempt to justify keeping her around. Another tough chicken-keeping lesson.

 

[sumi]

I wouldn't eat my chickens and I usually won't suggest other people do it either, but the thought popped into my head now. I don't think she's worth keeping around if she's going to be a pain like this. Maybe you should eat her. (I didn't say that LOL)

 

[SIMZ]

I wouldn't eat my chickens and I usually won't suggest other people do it either, but the thought popped into my head now. I don't think she's worth keeping around if she's going to be a pain like this. Maybe you should eat her. (I didn't say that LOL)

LOL I won't tell anyone.............

 

[WaterAye]

This is going to sound strange but I swear it has worked for our broody orphingtons. It was told to me by an old time farmer with a strait face and good intention.

Simply take the hen out and hold her feet in cold water for several minutes. She will swear at you for a while but will not go back to being broody. It makes me wonder where the term: "getting cold feet" originated.

I never would have done it, but my wife was desperate to keep the hens and loose the broody. It has worked for us, as silly as it seems.

Good Luck