Broody chicken?

[Melissacoop]

I have my first broody hen. For about a week now, she she isn't laying her own eggs and just sitting on the other two hen's eggs or none at all. I make her go out of the box twice a day to eat and drink but she just goes back in after I leave. They are unfertilized eggs. I don't know if I should crate her to break this behavior? I want her to go back laying her own eggs! How long can this last??

 

[aart]

I don't know if I should crate her to break this behavior? I want her to go back laying her own eggs!

Then break her broodiness:
See this post:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/broody-chicken.1301406/#post-21199251

 

[Ridgerunner]

I don't know if I should crate her to break this behavior? I want her to go back laying her own eggs! How long can this last??

Before a hen even starts laying eggs she builds up a reserve of fat. This fat reserve is mostly what she is living on when broody so she can spend most of the time on the nest instead of out looking for food. The longer she is broody the more of that fat reserve she uses so the more fat she has to replace before she starts laying again.

Each hen is an individual, there is no set time she will stay broody if you don't break her. Typically they have enough fat to last a lot longer than you'd think. So as far as the fat reserve component they can easily go 5 or 6 weeks without a problem. There are other things involved, not jut fat reserve. Your hen could break on her own tomorrow or she could go well past two months. You just don't know.

 

[Melissacoop]

I keep pushing her out of the box encouraging her to take a break and keeping the eggs out so there's nothing for her to sit on hoping she'll break on her own.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I keep pushing her out of the box encouraging her to take a break and keeping the eggs out so there's nothing for her to sit on hoping she'll break on her own.

Unless you really have nothing better to do all day than constantly check on her and kick her out, caging her is a lot more convenient and consistent. A broody can be broody on nothing but air, so even taking eggs/fake eggs away might not be enough.

 

[augiesdad]

I have had chickens for 2 years and this is the first year i have had a broody hen. I dont understand why people want to break this habit, is it a bad thing? I have not. had any problems with my broody.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I dont understand why people want to break this habit, is it a bad thing?.

I don't care so much about not having eggs during the period but I don't want my hens losing body condition for nothing, as I have no plans to have them hatch. They can lose a lot of weight while broody or pick up mites/lice/other parasites more easily because they're stationary during much of that period. It can also cause some discord in the flock, as their cranky behavior can upset the other birds.

 

[augiesdad]

Thank you Rosemarythyme, this does answer some of my question