Broken hen broody again?

[Bckpkrs]

Just curious for those with experience: is it (more) common for a broken broody to become broody again?

We broke one of our 3 hens last month. It took about 14 days. She's been fine for the last three weeks, up until yesterday when she started hanging out in the best box for several hours. This morning, she seems like more of her broodiness had returned. Even though she laid an egg today and was evicted from the nest box, she still returned to the box and started squaking when we reach in for her.

So is it common or more likely for hens that have been broody and broken to fall back and need to be broken again?

Just trying to get a handle on how often this kind of thing happens.

Thanks in advance.

 

[birdlover2]

Just curious for those with experience: is it (more) common for a broken broody to become broody again?

We broke one of our 3 hens last month. It took about 14 days. She's been fine for the last three weeks, up until yesterday when she started hanging out in the best box for several hours. This morning, she seems like more of her broodiness had returned. Even though she laid an egg today and was evicted from the nest box, she still returned to the box and started squaking when we reach in for her.

So is it common or more likely for hens that have been broody and broken to fall back and need to be broken again?

Just trying to get a handle on how often this kind of thing happens.

Thanks in advance.

I don't have much experiance with this, but if she persists you could take advantage of it and get some hatching eggs for her. If that's not a possibility for you or you don't want/need any more chickens I guess you'll just have to brake her again and hope she snaps out of it for good this time. Do you have a roo?

 

[Gallinarium]

Yes, hens often do return to brooding. It depends on how insistent they are.

 

[Bckpkrs]

Thanks; yeah, she's back in jail as of this afternoon. Wondering if more common than not Broody hens frequently relapse.

We're serious (suburban) backyard chicken folks. Roosters not allowed in town and no interest in hatching chicks. We're at three out of our legally allowed five or six hens and only have limited space and resources. We got these as egg-laying ladies.

 

[birdlover2]

Thanks; yeah, she's back in jail as of this afternoon. Wondering if more common than not Broody hens frequently relapse.

We're serious (suburban) backyard chicken folks. Roosters not allowed in town and no interest in hatching chicks. We're at three out of our legally allowed five or six hens and only have limited space and resources. We got these as egg-laying ladies.

I understand Good luck breaking her broody habits. Well, if there's no roosters she can't hatch eggs anyways. Growing up we had a broody hen that would let me get near her and pet her and I would very carefully get the eggs out from under her. You may be able to try that method if she's docile enough and trusts you, just switch the real eggs out for fake ones. That way you can just let her be broody until she realizes that her eggs were "infertile" or her chicks didn't make it and she comes out of it on her own, that may be longer lasting than any other method.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Some hens are just more inclined to broodiness than others, which may only go broody once and never again. Sounds like you got one that's the former.

 

[aart]

Yep, sounds like a serial broody.
I broke one broody hen 7 times one summer, that was after I let her hatch in March.
I finally gave her away to someone who wanted a broody,
she never went broody again,
and is giving them her beautiful dark brown eggs to them instead of me!