argh broody hen... NO ROOSTER, is this okay?

[sixxchixx]

So Ive read all through the broody posts and couldnt find the answer to my question. So I ask for advise from you all in chickenland.

I have a broody buff orp. She's been busy trying to hatch non-fertilized eggs for about a week now and Im concerned not so much for her but for the other chickens. I have 5 hens and they all lay in the same nest (the only one I have). Every morning i push her out of the nest with fear for my life (and hands) because she is really mean, but she always goes back the rest of the day and sleeps in there at night.

Should I just leave here alone and let the others fend for themselves or what?

I have a smaller pen that I kept the chicks in for a while when we were introducing small chicks with big hens, should i put her in there untill she's over it?

I just feel like the other 4 hens cant get in to lay eggs with her fat butt sitting in there all day.

 

[chics in the sun]

I would put her in the separate pen to break her of it. It is very hard on them to be broody, especially if there is no end in site since the eggs won't ever hatch!

 

[mcostas]

I am concerned about my little banty, who has apparently become broody. I have chicks in my only separte pen. Can I just shoo her out of the box? Maybe put her back up on the roost like she used to do?

 

[DTRM30]

you can try to break her of it by putting her in an area where she has no access to a nest box - or you can just wait it out. I've done the latter - they have always gotten the hint after 3-4 weeks - and give up.

You can try to provide another nesting area for the rest of them - and wear a glove collecting eggs if she's going after you. My girls were never that mean. They would puff up and growl, but that was the extent of it when I reached under them.

Letting them sit won't hurt them other than you will probably see a decrease in eggs from her - and she will be more susceptible to mites and lice as she won't be dustbathing.

What ever you want to do .... I just don't have the patience or the space to separeate a broody hen for 4 days in an area with no bedding - to me it's not a big issue.

 

[pharmchickrnmom]

I just let my glw sit. Elenor was broody for 3 weeks and I would kick her out of the nest each evening for some freerange time, to eat, poop and drink. I would close the apron so she couldnt get back in the tractor for an hour or more and kept her moving around. Eventually she gave up and got out. She was always very docile with me and allowed me to move her around and handle her without growling or voicing protest. Everyone does it different. I just let them sit.

 

[ednasgirl]

My buff orp has been spending half a day or so sitting on nest #1. I always reach under her and remove the egg(s) and I put her out to free range with the other 9 hens- we have no rooster. A couple of times she has got back up in the nest instead of on the roosting pole at nite; I pick her up and place her up to roost with the other. It's no trouble to show her this extra attention. She growls at me when I remove eggs. One good thing has come of it. The others are now starting to use the free nests instead of waiting in line or getting in with her to lay.
I love these chicks. I can go out and holler "girls come on... Hurry" and they run from every direction to get treats!

 

[Bravo]

I've found that when one goes broody, the hormones flying around are quite contagious

A month ago one of my girls went broody and within a few days a domino effect started. By the end of the week I had 7 girls with raging hormones, fighting over 3 nest boxes. Sure I was able to break them but egg production stopped and took a few weeks to start. Moral of the story for us was if you don't want a flock of broody hens, separate a broody girl immediately.

 

[Mahonri]

Next week buy 2 or 3 chicks and put them under her at night. Let her raise them. You'll need replacement hens right?

 

[aggie9296]

Been there, done that. About every other month one of my older hens goes broody. No rooster and I don't want any babies either. I tried waiting her out. But she wsn't eating and broody is contagious and I also had only one box for 6 hens. 2 of them in there in the heat and I thought they were going to die.

I started pullng her out of the box every chance I got. Tried the cool water on the belly bit. Put her in a separate pen. Blocked off teh nest box after all had laid. Any of these worked after about a week. Also made some freestanding nest boxes to give the others a place to go if she was in there.

If you don't want her to hatch or sneak little ones under her, break her.