Broody Hen - No Rooster

[Sweetpea1216]

Hi Everyone, I have several hens. 2 Easter Eggers and 1 Polish Tolbunt. The Polish Tolbunt is several years old, and for the last month she has been very stubborn on tryi g to lay the other hens EGGS ( and a fake one ). Removed the fake egg and the real eggs and still she will sit in the box with nothing underneath her. I have no rooster so I would think she'd know that there are no fertilized eggs to hatch. Plus since this has started she has not laud any of her own eggs. The egg she sits on is from 1 other hen ( they each have their own favorite box to lay ) she will sit on top of the other hen while the other hen is laying her egg, then takes over and will sit on it till I come out to take it....which she hates. Pluffs herself up, feathers all ruffled and squawk at me....never takes a peck at me as I retrieved the egg. Then I scoop her up to join the other 2. She'll join them for awhile but she goes back in the box...I'll do this several times a day. Can anyone explain as to why she is doing this and give any helpful suggestions to break her of this. Thanks!!! : )

 

[Naser]

This is normal behaviour of a broody hen, she will sit on anything looks like an egg even golf ball, she wouldn't know if an egg is fertilized or not.
The best thing you can do is put her in a cage with only the mesh under her feet, give her food and water and get her out every three days or so to test if she is still broody.

 

[Sweetpea1216]

This is normal behaviour of a broody hen, she will sit on anything looks like an egg even golf ball, she wouldn't know if an egg is fertilized or not.
The best thing you can do is put her in a cage with only the mesh under her feet, give her food and water and get her out every three days or so to test if she is still broody.

She has been this way for a month, maybe a little more. I have been bringing food etc so she won't go hungry/thirsty and scoop her out and join the other 2...even sprinkle a bit of mealworms and watermelons to entice out which works but afterwards still goes right back in. Do hens normally stay broody for this long? My other hens in the past gone broody but never lasted this long nor this stubborn - granted she has a stubborn personality..and I love her for it but does have me concerned. Should I worry....THANKS : )

 

[Sweetpea1216]

My stubborn broody chicken.....sitting on top of my other chicken. Waits for her to lay her egg then will sit that egg all day till I come for it and then will stay in the box.....and sit on nothing.....ALL DAY with nothing underneath her.....stubborn girl!!!!

 

[Chaerie]

I was able to break my broody hen by putting a milk crate over her and spraying under her body with the garden sprayer. Maybe 5 min to cool her body off, I let her dry for a bit before putting her back in the coop, worked like a charm

 

[Naser]

Get something like a cage made of anything with a mesh under her feet to let air circulate under her, I am not sure how long a hen can stay broody and if that could kill her, but it is not good to stay broody for long.

 

[Redhead Rae]

If you want more chickens without a roo, you could give her fake eggs and get a couple day old chicks to sneak under her after dark. Having a good Mama raise chicks is MUCH easier than setting up a brooder.

 

[Jukasorenson]

"...you could give her fake eggs and get a couple day old chicks to sneak under her after dark. Having a good Mama raise chicks is MUCH easier than setting up a brooder."

I too have an extremely broody hen, with no roo. She has until now been my most consistent egg layer, and now, nothing. She isn't snarky, so I feel like she'd be a good momma hen, but is it too late in the year (I'm in Michigan) to place chicks beneath her? Also, if I buy a couple of chicks from Tractor Supply, will that work? I don't know what else to do.
She is sitting on the "nest" most of the day. I do take her out once or twice a day to be sure she is eating and drinking. She's usually quick about it, and will go to a sunny spot to dust and then quickly return to the nesting box.

 

[Molpet]

last yr I had a hen hatch chicks on halloween... they all made it through the N IL winter

ETA: get chicks and put them under her at night.. she will wake up and think they are hers... once in awhile some hens reject them

 

[Redhead Rae]

I too have an extremely broody hen, with no roo. She has until now been my most consistent egg layer, and now, nothing. She isn't snarky, so I feel like she'd be a good momma hen, but is it too late in the year (I'm in Michigan) to place chicks beneath her? Also, if I buy a couple of chicks from Tractor Supply, will that work? I don't know what else to do.
She is sitting on the "nest" most of the day. I do take her out once or twice a day to be sure she is eating and drinking. She's usually quick about it, and will go to a sunny spot to dust and then quickly return to the nesting box.

Our one hen that went broody earlier this year was like that. Very determined, not sassy at all. She was a great mama to the chicks she hatched. The WONDERFUL thing about having a mama hen is that it is SO easy to take care of them. She is their brooder. We had some pretty cold days towards the end of May when she hatched them out but she hovered over them to keep them warm. The chicks would pop out, eat, play, drink and pop back under ma when they needed to warm up. You might want to have them in a separate little area until the other hens are used to the chicks. But yes, go out to TS and get some chicks and pop them under her after dark.

Another bonus, Mama + babies = some really adorable pictures.