Broody Hen - how long does it last?

[DenverBird]

Apologies for asking a question that's probably been discussed dozens of times - search on "broody+hen" is too broad and I don't see the topic's been recently discussed on the forum.

My BO is spending all her time in the laying box, fluffs out her feathers and makes a growling noise when I open the lid. She's obviously broody. I tried wetting her down with cold water twice and she went right back to the laying box each time.

How long will she be like this and is there a better way to break her of it?

Thanks in advance,

-DB

 

[SilverPhoenix]

It goes on from three to five weeks usually in my experience. Or forever, if you have crazy maternal birds like my seramas.

Search "breaking broody" or something like that and you'll find some ways to get her out of momma mode.

 

[LarryPQ]

It lasts foooooooooorrrreeeeeeeveeeeeeeerrrrr.

 

[goldeneggtees]

I think buff orps are impossible to break. I tried and finally decided that I'm just going to wait them out. I've heard of using ice packs under them and changing them every once in awhile. Nope, didn't work. I have also heard of people putting them in suspended cages so air can flow through under their bellys but that approach wasn't for me. I've ordered chicks for my broodies and that def worked but now I have 7 more hens than I'm supposed to by law so that's not an option for next time.

Thankfully, no one seems inclined to try this spring. Although one of my australorp pullets is acting broody but she has no idea what she is doing! and hopefully won't figure out that she is supposed to stay on the nest. ha, ha!

Seriously, good luck, it can be a trying experience if you don't have fertile eggs or the need for more babies.

Oh, BTW, it's supposed to be 21 days but I've had one go to 5 weeks and that was in the middle of winter. UGH!

 

[gordonburrito]

It can last a many weeks. One of our black sex links goes broody at the drop of a hat

This winter, during the coldest darkest part of the year, she decided to pluck out all of her chest feathers and sit on the nest. Eggs or no eggs. The coop section where they sleep and nest is heated, so we didn't bother to break her. She eventually gave up and returned to her senses but I was beginning to worry I was going to have to buy her some fertilized eggs to hatch. I think that time it took 4 weeks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Here is a good thread about breaking broodies. I personally prefer the cage with a wire floor. It has always worked for me.

Break a Broody Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2176186#p2176186

 

[BetterHensandGardens]

And here I'm hoping at least one of ours goes broody!

 

[goldeneggtees]

ain't that always the way?

Quote:

 

[DenverBird]

Update - I put our BO in our "Summer Palace," a little bare bones tractor coop we built that makes a good isolation coop for up to a few birds and has a wire floor with some roosting bars up off the bottom and little upside down plastic bin shelter they can spend the night in. I put the little tractor up on some cinder blocks so its off the ground. Buffy spent a couple of days out there and then the afternoon out with all the other hens in the yard. At the end of the day, I found her back in the nesting box again.

It reminded me of the scene from Cool Hand Luke where the guard's orienting the new inmates, listing all the offenses for which a man will "spend a night in the box."

At least she didn't head straight to the nest. Maybe another day or two will do it.

Thanks for all the info,

-DB

 

[PatS]

Denver,

It usually takes three or four days to break our BOs. We put them in our isolation pen (it is a covered 6x8' chain link doggy kennel), but only with a roost -- no area where she can "nest." She can't snuggle down anywhere. She'll usually pace back and forth along the chain link by day, and has to roost at night, which cools down her tummy.

The same hen who hatched one clutch for us last year and had to be broken twice during the summer has gone broody again! We moved her to the isolation pen and set eight eggs under her tonight.

Good luck with yours.