Broody hen questions

[MotherHen2017]

Hello!

I have a hen that went broody on me 3 or 4 weeks ago. For various reasons I've decided not to let her set. So we have this evening routine now where I go collect the days eggs from under her, she pecks my arm a time or two and growls at me, I tell her to get out of the nest and we do it all over again the next day. Lol But here's what I'm wondering.

1. Does she continue to lay until she has a clutch of eggs that I actually leave under her? Or is she just warming the other ladies eggs?

2. Will she come out of this on her own or am I actually going to have to find a way to break her? Our little evening routine is getting old. Lol! She's getting tired of it too. She only pecks me once now instead of repeatedly. Haha

Thanks!

 

[The Angry Hen]

When a hen is broody, she has a hormonal instinct of which is still a mystery to me... But I know that when she goes broody she does not lay any eggs. About a month after brood she'll begin to lay again.
Even if she didn't lay any eggs in that nest and she's just on other flock-mate's eggs, she still won't lay. That's why it's one of that many mysteries to me.

She will get out of the nest daily, about every five hours or so, to get water- food and take a sand bath. Do her thing. Then she'll retreat back to the nest when she's done.

You can try to break her with a broody cage, but personally I let brooding hens brood. Many farmers prefer their hens not be broody due to them not laying while they brood. I have plenty eggs/hens, I am in no rush. So I let them brood. Hope this helps!

 

[Photokitty]

I have two brooding right now. My brown leghorn decided 4 weeks ago to go into an unbreakable brood. I have tried everything so I gave up. She seems to be getting out of the nest more often now. I gave her fake eggs and a cat litter plastic tub to brood in so I can just tunk her out to check for eggs. It is also good if you want to move thrm to try and break the brood. You replace the part of the top that you cut off and voila instant chicken transfer bucket without pecking. You can put a can or a plastics sour cream jar over their head to keep from getting pecked but I like the dump and look.

 

[chickens really]

I always break my Broody Hen if I'm not wanting her to hatch...I have one now that is going into the Breaker today...Its a wire dog crate with chicken wire on the bottom..Its up off the ground so her belly cools...She should be back to normal in about 4 days....Its hard on Hens to Brood if not setting eggs...They drop weight as they usually only get off the nest once a day or so....
Best wishes....

 

[aart]

The longer you let them set waiting for them to give up,
the longer they can take to break.....
....and it's not particularly healthy for them to let them set without hatching.

1. Does she continue to lay until she has a clutch of eggs that I actually leave under her? Or is she just warming the other ladies eggs?

2. Will she come out of this on her own or am I actually going to have to find a way to break her? Our little evening routine is getting old. Lol! She's getting tired of it too. She only pecks me once now instead of repeatedly. Haha

1. She's probably not laying, if she's truly broody, just trying to hatch other birds egg laid in her nest. I assume you are gathering all the eggs every day? Is she roosting with the other birds at night to sleep or are you letting her sit on a nest all night too?
2. Not likely to come out of it on her own.

I don't screw around with broodies..after being on nest 3 days and 3 nights they go in the breaker....3-4 days later it's over and she back to 'normal'. I don't want more chicks and I don't want her to lose condition.

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 and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day(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.

Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.

 

[MotherHen2017]

Thanks so much for all the help!

When I went to collect the eggs yesterday she was off the nest and had been long enough for the eggs to get cold. I'm not getting my hopes up, but I am hoping she's breaking on her own.

I love the dog cage idea.

Thanks!