Brooding Hen for the 5th time

jujohns

In the Brooder
Jul 29, 2018
7
2
39
I have a RIR sex link hen that is about a year old that is brooding again. I have a total of 7 hens and no roosters. I have had chickens for about 5 years and this is the first time I have had a hen that is brooding. I have tried all the tricks (moving her out of the box by hand, placing frozen veggies under her, and finally putting her in solitary confinement). I have separated her out and put her in an elevated cage for 4-5 days. This seems to break her and I join her back with the other hens. She does well for about 3 or 4 weeks and then she goes back to brooding again. We have gone through this process 5 times now. Anyone else experience this or have any suggestions?
 
Welcome to BYC!

At this point, I would give up, let her brood, and slip a pair of pullet chicks under her three weeks later, but that's just me.

You could also try culling her from your flock and advertising locally on Facebook--many people would love to own a good broody hen.

Good luck.
 
I have a RIR sex link hen that is about a year old that is brooding again. I have a total of 7 hens and no roosters. I have had chickens for about 5 years and this is the first time I have had a hen that is brooding. I have tried all the tricks (moving her out of the box by hand, placing frozen veggies under her, and finally putting her in solitary confinement). I have separated her out and put her in an elevated cage for 4-5 days. This seems to break her and I join her back with the other hens. She does well for about 3 or 4 weeks and then she goes back to brooding again. We have gone through this process 5 times now. Anyone else experience this or have any suggestions?
I have a few that have the same cycle. I can see it coming so I often put them in the breaking pen even before they are fully broody, sometimes I get that last egg. They break pretty quickly when caught early.

Many times a hen will be broody repeatedly for a year, than the next year they don't go broody at all. Others are broody it seems every season. Every hen is different. Some breeds are more prone to it as the instinct hasn't been bred out of them like in other breeds.

The elevated cage or even just penning them away from their chosen nest site is the best way to break them. Most take 3-5 days, but stubborn ones can take a week or more. It's important to leave them penned. Provide a roost so they get off the floor, as well as food and water.

Broodies can be frustrating. Having an easy way to deal with them can help curb some of that frustration.
 
Last edited:

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom