Broody- for the first time!!

[Minky]

I have 6 grown hens (1 year old now). One has been broody JAN (broke her)/// April 4- hatched out 9 chicks and raised them to 6 weeks// NOW(in process of breaking her). I think she needs more time to recoup and dont need more chicks right now....

BUT now another hen is broody... I would consider letting her sit on some eggs just to give her the experience, maybe 3-4 eggs. What do you think? I'd rather not have more chicks, especially since thats just more crowding over winter... but I'm afraid if I break her she may just go broody every couple months.

Both these are EE (sold as auranuca) what should I do- ?
More chicks and let her hatch out a small clutch or wait til spring?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You are gonna figure out pretty quickly that some hens will go repeatedly broody their first few years. I get lots of them each season. I break almost all of them.

Don't hatch unless you have a plan on what to do with the offspring. As you've seen, hatching doesn't stop the broody cycle. Another concern is not every hen is a good mother.

If you break them ASAP they resume laying quicker, and don't lose all that weight and condition setting.

 

[BirdGirl2004]

I agree with oldhenlikesdogs!! It's SOOOOO exciting when you get your first broody hen! And the waiting is... absolutely excruciating especially on day 21. I basically stayed glued to my coop... GOOD LUCK!!

 

[Mbart83]

You are gonna figure out pretty quickly that some hens will go repeatedly broody their first few years. I get lots of them each season. I break almost all of them.

Don't hatch unless you have a plan on what to do with the offspring. As you've seen, hatching doesn't stop the broody cycle. Another concern is not every hen is a good mother.

If you break them ASAP they resume laying quicker, and don't lose all that weight and condition setting.

How do you break them?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How do you break them?

It's recommended to put them in a wire bottom crate slightly elevated off the ground for 3-5 days. Keep them in it continuously until day 3 than release the hen and see if she goes back to the nest. If she does it's back to the crate for another few days. The quicker you break them the quicker they break.

I personally just put my broodies in a separate pen. They break after a few days generally.

 

[aart]

I personally just put my broodies in a separate pen. They break after a few days generally.

How is this pen set up? No nest I'm sure, but anything else?


My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How is this pen set up? No nest I'm sure, but anything else?


My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
View attachment 1447610

They are just pens with a gravel base, and a bit of bedding. There's a roost. Most just pace for a few days trying to get back to their original nest. The only ones that give me troubles are the large Cochin hens. They sometimes set in the pen for a while before breaking, but least they are out of my nestboxes.

It's this pen here. Sometimes there's a spare rooster in it with them, and sometimes there's not.

 

[aart]

They are just pens with a gravel base, and a bit of bedding. There's a roost. Most just pace for a few days trying to get back to their original nest. The only ones that give me troubles are the large Cochin hens. They sometimes set in the pen for a while before breaking, but least they are out of my nestboxes.

It's this pen here. Sometimes there's a spare rooster in it with them, and sometimes there's not.

View attachment 1448015

Ah, cause that looks like nice a broody nesting pen.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Ah, cause that looks like nice a broody nesting pen.

I have done some hatching in it too. Most my hens seem to focus on the nestboxes being just right over there and seem to forget they are broody. Many times there's a couple in there that bicker. I can barely keep up with the constant stream of broodies here. Someone is always in it.

 

[rosemarythyme]

I've been using a pen as well, which is a covered dog exercise pen sitting in the run. No roost, just food and water. Might not work well for a bird that's been sitting for some time, or a very determined bird, but since I break broodies as soon as I see them it's always worked well for me.