Australorp broody AGAIN

[NorthwoodsChick]

This is a vent session: Aussie is once again broody. My Lord - This makes 4x since January. She may as well live in the broody jail at this rate. Is this typical of Australops?
She’s lowest in rank among 8 older OG hens and each jail sentence reaffirms her rank despite being in the coop. I feel like she could be living a happier life if not broody every 2 months.
She’s 1.5 yr old- started laying at 18 weeks and has laid 76 eggs this year and 46 last year.
ugh

 

[50-45-1]

Some girls are just like that!
Maybe advertise her as broody mama queen and someone will have the perfect situation for her where she can be herself and fulfill her life's ambition to rear young.
There are non broody breeds that would be better at just egg production if that is your preference.
I also have a persistent broody. She raised chicks this spring and is now starting broodyness number 3 since then.

 

[Mrs. K]

I second the idea of advertising her as a broody queen, I would strongly consider it, if one was advertised near me. Mrs. Feathers was a broody queen, and I lost her this summer. No one else seems interested in the job. I did have a RSL ??? do it this spring and got two cockerels from her, but she hasn't again, and no one else.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

I may intergrate her to the Marans coop and let her sit on eggs next spring. She would achieve higher rank in that coop, I believe. I’m not interested in rehoming her- eggs aren’t important- just happy life.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I may intergrate her to the Marans coop and let her sit on eggs next spring. She would achieve higher rank in that coop, I believe. I’m not interested in rehoming her- eggs aren’t important- just happy life.

If she's happy brooding ....

I had two "Orp-ish" EEs go broody this spring. I had already ordered 15 chicks to be ready in July, so I didn't need chicks in the spring. But I decided to give them each a couple of eggs just to keep them happy. They hatched one each, both of which turned out to be cockerels; they did a lovely job raising and integrating them, and both cockerels ended up in the freezer. The upshot of the deal was that I now had two proven broodies! And when my chicks arrived, they adopted and raised them, it was perfect. And when they go broody again - as they will - I'll probably just let them set. I believe they'll get over it. I've never heard of one starving to death. That doesn't make sense from an evolutionary standpoint.

 

[talkinboutchickens]

Typical. My black australorp Phyllis has hatched chicks twice in 2023 and 2024. She was a very sweet and dedicated mama to her babies. Although she is a bad role model for other hens...Because in 2024, two other girls decided to hatch chicks along with her.

Broody jail might be a good idea unless you are willing to take eggs away from her every day, and try to get her off the nest

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You go, Phyllis!

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Typical. My black australorp Phyllis has hatched chicks twice in 2023 and 2024. She was a very sweet and dedicated mama to her babies. Although she is a bad role model for other hens...Because in 2024, two other girls decided to hatch chicks along with her.
View attachment 4221799
Broody jail might be a good idea unless you are willing to take eggs away from her every day, and try to get her off the nest

Her jail and my thick leather gloves stand at the ready. She bites- but I sure do love her.

 

[FreedomFarmer]

I have the same problem as everyone above. A California White that goes broody every two months like clockwork. I have no rooster and she has no eggs in her nest. She has always given up after about 21 days in the nest. This time she has been broody for over a month. Yesterday I started taking her out of the coop morning and night. She does stay out for a bit but so far going right back to the nest. I could try broody jail. I'm guessing that won't be a fix and would be needed every two months or when she doesn't give up after 21 days.

If I got a couple of fertilized eggs from a friend and let her hatch and raise the chicks, would she continue to be just as broody after that? I'm guessing she would.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Sigh. We finally culled my Atilla. She and another pullet went broody at about ten months and she never stopped. We gave them two eggs each and they each hatched one and co-parented them (both chicks were cockerels). She and the other hen went broody again immediately afterward and at three weeks we gave them 21 day-old chicks. Atilla was firecely parenting this time, the other less so. And I do mean FIERCE. When the chicks were weaned, Atilla immediately went broody again. She's been broody now non-stop for about six months. There's no stopping her. She was losing weight without taking a break to rebuild her fat stores. Her legs were getting so stiff she was having trouble walking. When I'd take her off the nest to make her eat, drink, poop and dustbathe, she'd attack the other chickens. She was just grumpy and miserable and making everybody else miserable too. I decided to put her down because it seemed obvious to me her hormones were out of control and she was suffering.