Brooding???

[BowFarm]

Or you can let her be and leave her in peace and quiet until she is done broody. It may take five or six weeks, but she will eventually snap out of it. Just be sure to reach under her once a day and remove any eggs that the other chicken may have laid.

edited by staff

 

[jotebo]

I'm thinking, since I know when the other chicken lays her egg everyday (she lets you know), I will just close off the nesting box after she lays and then close it off at night too. That's about the same idea as the wire cage. Just let her do her thing naturally. But not encourage her.
What does everyone think about that?

 

[BowFarm]

That sounds fine. Some people try and get their hens to snap out of brooding right away, but that can end up causing stress on the hens. My philosophy is to give the chickens what they want and not try and force them to do what you want them to do. Hens are not automatic laying machines. They are complex animals with their own cycle of laying and not laying. When you try to impose your idea of how they should behave, you end up stressing yourself and the hen.

edited by staff

 

[AandVschickens]

Thanks for the thread. I came on to find out what was going on with mine. EXACTLY same thing as yours. Sits in nesting box, fluffs when I get near her, gets weird when other chickens want to lay. I have 5 girls with 2 nesting boxes. They all use both boxes no problem but she is always in one. Their production has gone from a regular 4-5 at day to 2 as I believe she is disrupting everyone. My buddy at work meats his when they do this. I'm considering it. I'm a micro yarder too so can't get more. One less would actually be a good thing. I think its Madame Buffington (BuffOrp my kids named first day). lol. Brooding was the answer to my question though. I have not experienced this yet. Thanks community!

 

[Johnn]

Thanks for the thread. I came on to find out what was going on with mine. EXACTLY same thing as yours. Sits in nesting box, fluffs when I get near her, gets weird when other chickens want to lay. I have 5 girls with 2 nesting boxes. They all use both boxes no problem but she is always in one. Their production has gone from a regular 4-5 at day to 2 as I believe she is disrupting everyone. My buddy at work meats his when they do this. I'm considering it. I'm a micro yarder too so can't get more. One less would actually be a good thing. I think its Madame Buffington (BuffOrp my kids named first day). lol. Brooding was the answer to my question though. I have not experienced this yet. Thanks community!

Your thinking about having her culled because she's broody?

 

[donrae]

Thanks for the thread. I came on to find out what was going on with mine. EXACTLY same thing as yours. Sits in nesting box, fluffs when I get near her, gets weird when other chickens want to lay. I have 5 girls with 2 nesting boxes. They all use both boxes no problem but she is always in one. Their production has gone from a regular 4-5 at day to 2 as I believe she is disrupting everyone. My buddy at work meats his when they do this. I'm considering it. I'm a micro yarder too so can't get more. One less would actually be a good thing. I think its Madame Buffington (BuffOrp my kids named first day). lol. Brooding was the answer to my question though. I have not experienced this yet. Thanks community!

Instead of butchering her, sell her! Folks here will pay a good $20 for a broody hen. I'd sure take her if I were closer.

 

[jotebo]

I think selling her is a great idea for a broody hen.
My girl went in the wire cage today. I'll try her in "time out" for 3 days and hopefully it will work.

 

[Johnn]

Sell her if anything. Not exactly fair killing her because she is exhibiting a natural behaviour.

 

[AandVschickens]

I could try to separate her from the rest and put her in solitary confinement but in my opinion it is crueler to punish and stress her out (torture) for multiple days than to just end it. But that’s just me. I am fine with killing quickly but I am not okay seeing an animal suffer. She has gotten much louder too and is risking me losing the entire flock due to angry neighbors. It’s definitely not my first choice to kill her but it is just a chicken and it seems to me she is preventing the others from doing their “natural behavior” and stressing everyone out. I am a total newbie to raising chickens so I admit I don’t know anything compared to you all but I have been hunting all my life and have killed and eaten many pheasants (same thing as chickens) and have no problem eating a nice organic hen. I don’t know… I’m struggling with it. I would love to keep her but…. I also don’t want to lose the flock and I need my eggs! Lol. For the sake of not upsetting the backyardchicken.com community I will investigate selling her (but that sounds like way more trouble than it’s worth). Thank you all again for your comments and suggestions and I hope that I have not offended anyone with my inexperience and uneducated opinions. jotebo, let me know how the time-out goes and if successful (and not too stressful on her) I will try that. Can you post a picture of the wire cage so I can get an idea of what I would need to do? Thanks!!!

 

[Johnn]

I could try to separate her from the rest and put her in solitary confinement but in my opinion it is crueler to punish and stress her out (torture) for multiple days than to just end it. But that’s just me. I am fine with killing quickly but I am not okay seeing an animal suffer. She has gotten much louder too and is risking me losing the entire flock due to angry neighbors. It’s definitely not my first choice to kill her but it is just a chicken and it seems to me she is preventing the others from doing their “natural behavior” and stressing everyone out. I am a total newbie to raising chickens so I admit I don’t know anything compared to you all but I have been hunting all my life and have killed and eaten many pheasants (same thing as chickens) and have no problem eating a nice organic hen. I don’t know… I’m struggling with it. I would love to keep her but…. I also don’t want to lose the flock and I need my eggs! Lol. For the sake of not upsetting the backyardchicken.com community I will investigate selling her (but that sounds like way more trouble than it’s worth). Thank you all again for your comments and suggestions and I hope that I have not offended anyone with my inexperience and uneducated opinions. jotebo, let me know how the time-out goes and if successful (and not too stressful on her) I will try that. Can you post a picture of the wire cage so I can get an idea of what I would need to do? Thanks!!!

They aren't usually loud when they are broody. They will only be loud if you put your hand towards her then she will scream at you. Selling her might not be any hassle at all, a lot of people love to naturally hatch so she may find a home easily. Also the wire cage is easy to set up, just lift the cage up from the floor, put no bedding in and make sure she has food and water close as she might struggle to walk on it. Not gonna lie, it isn't the nicest way to break her but its not forever.