Broody Hen Thread!

[thebanthams]

How do you know how long a hen has been sitting on her eggs
And is there exact time they will come off their nest to get food and water and poo

it varies with all kinds of hens, I have some that will never leave the nest with no food and water, I had to forced them out so they can have water ! ( very hot here) I wouldnt bother her every day if youre hatching eggs. just once in a while, get her out so she can eat and drnk. dont be surprised if she runs back to her nest !

 

[AVintageLife]

I had one like that too...that just wouldn't stop wanting to brood since a more dominant hen chased her off the nest and stole the fertile eggs from her. But she was a first time brooder and not confident to stay with the same nest thereafter.

So she sulked, and she sulked in the main coop switching different nests of infertile eggs. As I didn't want to discourage her from the idea of brooding with harsh measures I began to simply pick her up from the box whenever I was out in the yard (usually a couple of times a day). I would gently stroke her and then set her down in the main yard next to some really, really nummy treats. At first she was annoyed, but ooooh those WERE her favorite treats. I kept repeating this over the next week and I began to see her out more and more until she was looking for me and the treat bucket.

It may have just been she was just getting done brooding, but I really do believe it helped to break her brood. Anyway, it might be worth a try.

Lady of McCamley

I wanted to report that after crating Zelda for 24 hours, I used your approach, as well as placing her up on the roost at night and as of yesterday, she's back with the flock - no more broody! Thank you again for your suggestions.

 

[julie0477]

Ah gees. Yesterday when I got home from work there were no eggs. I really have two laying right now, well, and my duck. The others are too young, too old, or broody. Anyway, my Gold Star ALWAYS lays. There could be a zombie apocalypse and she could be the last chicken on earth and there is no where to lay but a dark scary cave that could be infested with zombies.... and she would lay. Ok, too much tv for me this summer obviously lol. Anyway, yesterday, no chicken eggs, only a duck egg. So this morning I look out the window and notice her hanging around the chicken tractor where my silkie is sitting on eggs. Then she goes in. Nooooooo! I went out and actually just told her, 'Hey, go to your own nest box!" and surprisingly she did, but I bet you anything there is an egg in there from yesterday thats been incubated now for over 24 hours and its about 8 days behind the others. You guys think I should just leave it? Will she hatch one more that much later? Or candle tonight and throw it out?

 

[NCgirl21]

My first time Broody Rhode Island Red is in a wire crate for day 3 today. Before she would at least drink when I dunked her beak and encouraged her and she would eat literally ONE peck's worth before running back to her nest. Now she's been moved to her broody box and she won't drink or eat at all. Am I doing more harm than good? She's been broody for about a month or so, so I know she's not going to magically pop out of broodiness already, but I don't want to be putting her in the broody buster and just cause stress and no results. Should I be very concerned that she shows no interest in food and water? (I gave her yogurt the last two days and she LOVED that, but that's about all she's had..) Thanks for the advice!

 

[20736]

Let hens be broody people!
It is what Mother Nature wants them to do. And you can't fool Mother Nature.
We are not big conglomerate egg producers that need every egg from every chicken for a profit.
If a hen goes broody, let her. If you don't want the hatch, somebody will, especially if the baby pullets are from a broody hen.
I'm just sayin' is all.

 

[AVintageLife]

Let hens be broody people!
It is what Mother Nature wants them to do. And you can't fool Mother Nature.
We are not big conglomerate egg producers that need every egg from every chicken for a profit.
If a hen goes broody, let her. If you don't want the hatch, somebody will, especially if the baby pullets are from a broody hen.
I'm just sayin' is all.

A broody is a wonderful thing but sometimes not the right timing. I don't have a roo, so all eggs are infertile. I think she went broody because I was away for a long weekend and my son didn't bring in the eggs. When I returned, she was sitting on 14 infertile eggs happy as can be. I don't miss her egg production, I just have five hens, currently growing out three separate batches of summer chicks (hatched on site with purchased fertile eggs) and cannot accommodate new chicks for the fall. Come spring, I'll be ready for more chicks.

 

[NCgirl21]

Let hens be broody people!
It is what Mother Nature wants them to do. And you can't fool Mother Nature.
We are not big conglomerate egg producers that need every egg from every chicken for a profit.
If a hen goes broody, let her. If you don't want the hatch, somebody will, especially if the baby pullets are from a broody hen.
I'm just sayin' is all.

I'm all about letting Mother Nature taking its course, but after letting the broody hen sit in peace for a month and waiting for that hen to "pop" up and not be broody anymore, I think it's only being a responsible chicken owner for wanting to intervene because there comes a point where the hen's health could be at risk. I think most people I've come across on BYC would agree that they're more interested in the best interest of the hen, not maximizing the amount of eggs produced by that chicken at all costs. And sometimes "letting" her be broody could be six months later (I read a post earlier about a 6 month straight stretch of broodiness) and that's not an option to me, not because I care about those 120 eggs I might have "lost" (I really don't).. but because there's no way sitting in a box for 6 months, coming out once a day, is a healthy chicken life.

 

[Lady of McCamley]

My first time Broody Rhode Island Red is in a wire crate for day 3 today. Before she would at least drink when I dunked her beak and encouraged her and she would eat literally ONE peck's worth before running back to her nest. Now she's been moved to her broody box and she won't drink or eat at all. Am I doing more harm than good? She's been broody for about a month or so, so I know she's not going to magically pop out of broodiness already, but I don't want to be putting her in the broody buster and just cause stress and no results. Should I be very concerned that she shows no interest in food and water? (I gave her yogurt the last two days and she LOVED that, but that's about all she's had..) Thanks for the advice!

You haven't stated you have her on fertile eggs, but can I assume that since you moved her to a broody box?

If you want her to hatch those eggs and finish her brood (the best way to "break" a brood), merely place food and water near her in the box, but located so she can't tip them over. I use chick feeders and waterers. Also make sure she is isolated from other hens who might hassle her for her eggs.

She will get up once a day to eat and drink and poo, especially if it is near her nest. I know many people worry about the brooding hen, but they get up more than you think for quick snatches of time, so having food and water immediately near is a good way to insure they get the sustenance they need.

If, on the other hand, you are trying to discourage her from brooding, there are extreme measures (ice bath/ice cubes underneath them, placing them in a hanging crate) all to cool her down so the hormones shut off, or locking her out of any nesting area until she no longer desires to nest. However, I have had success with merely picking up the hen off the nest, stroking her, and placing her in the main yard next to her absolute favorite food treats. I keep doing this periodically through the day, and in a matter of a week, I saw her more and more until she was running to greet me with the treat bucket.

I wanted to use a more positive reinforcement technique on this hen as I would like this hen to go broody again, but she had broke her brood (due to a more dominant hen forcing her out of her nest box to brood her eggs) and she wouldn't settle again. She sulked brooded, sitting on different nests for days, but never fully settling so that I didn't want to put her on fertile eggs. As she'd been broody for 5 weeks, I chose to encourage her to break the brood.

Anyway, my 2 cents with my experiences
Lady of McCamley

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I wanted to report that after crating Zelda for 24 hours, I used your approach, as well as placing her up on the roost at night and as of yesterday, she's back with the flock - no more broody! Thank you again for your suggestions.

I am so happy it worked for you!

I've done a lot of dog training (7 years of projects for Guide Dogs for the Blind) and we learned a lot of positive reinforcement techniques.

So, I thought I'd try it on a chicken...and it seemed to work! As with dogs, it seems the key is to use their absolute favorite treat...not regular food...you must choose something that they would crawl across the yard for.

Time will tell how effective this method is, but I will definitely try it again if I want to break an over-broody hen.
Lady of McCamley

 

[roostersandhens]

My hen is hatching 4 eggs!!! Was four they were due to hatch tomorrow and I just found out I had an early pipper who died

3 eggs left I hear peeping!!!