Broody Hen Thread!

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Anyone ever have a hen who was just half broody?

I have 4 7-month old Buff Orpingtons. One started to go broody about a month ago. She plucked out all her breast feathers. She makes the Chuck Chuck Chuck sound all day long. And puffs up and goes all Turkey Mom on the other hens if they get too close to her.

But she's still laying eggs. Doesn't stay in the nest and roosts at night w/ the other hens.

It doesn't really bother me. But this has been going on for at least a month now and she's stuck like this. The only thing I can think of is that she's starting to go broody, but then the weather turned cool and maybe her body is thinking, no, not really a good time to raise babies, so she gave up. But never really snapped out of it.

I don't have a rooster, just hens and I collect my eggs every day.

I'm not finding anything online about this and was just curios more than anything.
 
I have one that occasionally goes broody for about 24 hours and then walks away from the nest the minute I open the pop door in the morning. For those 24 hours though, she goes the whole 9 psycho broody yards, gets over it for awhile and then repeats. I'm hoping in spring she just goes over the edge and gets it out of her system. I was in the coop yesterday and heard her doing the chook chook chook thing again so winter breathing down her neck isn't slowing her down any.

I don't think what your hen is doing is going to cause her any harm. She will either go broody eventually or not. You could try breaking her by having her spend some down time in a broody buster just to get her over it
 
microchick said:
I have one that occasionally goes broody for about 24 hours and then walks away from the nest the minute I open the pop door in the morning. For those 24 hours though, she goes the whole 9 psycho broody yards, gets over it for awhile and then repeats. I'm hoping in spring she just goes over the edge and gets it out of her system. I was in the coop yesterday and heard her doing the chook chook chook thing again so winter breathing down her neck isn't slowing her down any.

I don't think what your hen is doing is going to cause her any harm. She will either go broody eventually or not. You could try breaking her by having her spend some down time in a broody buster just to get her over it
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Thanks for that. I think I'll just let her be unless it becomes an issue. Maybe as the weather turns cooler, she'll get over it on her own.
I guess I know who my moody broody will be come spring time.
 
I am having a similar problem with a RIR. She was getting very broody so I dunked her in water to snap her out of it, and it has resulted in this half-broodyness!! She will sit in a nest box till I kick her out, and then run off and be a normal hen again, roosts at night with everyone else. But in the morning, back to screeching at me in the nest box!!! arrgghh!!
 
These mommy hormones in the hens are just some special kind of potent. Best be looking for some fertile hatching eggs come spring. A few chicks to drool over usually cures them........for a while.
 
microchick said:
These mommy hormones in the hens are just some special kind of potent. Best be looking for some fertile hatching eggs come spring. A few chicks to drool over usually cures them........for a while.
Click to expand...

Yes, this is totally true. I had a BO who I raised from a day old chick. She came into lay, laid two eggs, and then went broody. I didn't think that was even possible. I broke her and she went broody again a few weeks later. So let her brood and gave her some day old chicks to raise and she was an awesome mama.
 
Broody serama Sara. She's on 6 eggs, and I have 10 in the incubator. Day 14 today. I'm hoping to get her to raise however many hatch. I might pick a few to brood inside, if very many hatch, but we'll see. :fl

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