Broody chicken but not ready for chicks yet

[Cloyed]

I have one broody hen but I am not ready for chicks
I have only had my chickens and one roo for 3 months and still getting to know them
If i don't care if she is laying eggs and I just collect all the eggs and leave her be, how long will she stay broody?

 

[donrae]

It's hard to say. Some broodies break pretty easy, some are very persistent.

Surest thing is to put her in a broody buster cage. That will break her faster, and IMO that's better. Brooding is stressful on the body, plus you're out the egg production. Breaking her early is better on her system and gets you back to eggs faster.

 

[Cloyed]

I was trying to avoid having to break her. maybe I should just let her have her way and have chicks. I was just worried because it is October and it will be cooler weather soon. But this is Texas so it's not like it will be really cold before January. My original plan was to have chicks in the spring. Like I have a choice in the matter. LOL

 

[Adalida]

I would stick with your original plan. Was there a reason you were avoiding breaking her broodiness? If she's a persistent broody, she might not stop on her own for weeks. I had a Buff Orpington like that, I thought she'd snap out of it but she absolutely would not for literally two months or more. I hadn't found this forum or I would have known better than to let her stay like that. She got very thin and ragged. To clarify, I tried to break her by just taking her off the nest and putting her far away from it, but it didn't work, even though I'd do it multiple times a day. The broody buster method was the thing that finally stopped the broodiness.

 

[Cloyed]

Mostly because she is mean.I am new to this chicken thing, they came with the house I just bought.The chickens are not very friendly to me yet. They all free range and I have been just letting them do there own thing. She has already been broody for several weeks. She still looks very healthy though.

 

[Adalida]

Just my opinion of course, but if you let her have chicks now, and she's mean towards you, your chicks aren't going to be very nice either and she most likely won't let you handle them so they won't be tame. Does she peck at you? If so, get a pair of gloves and a long sleeve shirt when you handle her. My broody looked okay for a long time but when I picked her up, I could feel her breastbone feeling prominent as she lost weight. It's a lot more fun to have nice chickens than standoffish ones. If you want to hatch your own chicks next spring, maybe one of your hens will be friendlier by then.

 

[Cloyed]

Thank you for your opinion. Yes she pecks at me and I agree with your assessment. I will try to break her and start working with them all so I can handle them. So next spring it is

 

[Adalida]

Do you know what breeds of chickens you have? Some breeds are known for being friendlier and some for being more independent.

 

[Cloyed]

Here is every ones best guess when I posted that question

"3 Barred Plymouth Rock hen, 1 Rhode Island Red hen, 1 Easter Egg hen(yellow and blk with very fluffy cheeks). Not real sure about the gray hen with the lighter neck, Has a Dorking shaped body, coloring is like a Crele color, mixed breed???? The rooster is Partridge colored, clean legged, maybe Partidge Plymouth Rock??? They look good and healthy. Just noticed the comb on the rooster, He must be cross breed, has a buttercup comb but a heavy body, wrong color for butter cup.. my guess is barn yard cross on the 1 hen and the rooster.."

 

[Adalida]

I think you've got a lot of potential with those breeds. Rhode Islands can be sassy according to a lot of people but I've had good luck with mine. They've all let me pick them up and handle them with no fuss. Of course treats are a very big motivator. You've got a nice flock though!