Broody Hen Thread!

[PD-Riverman]

Tried it a second time 3 days later and the hen smashed everyone of the eggs then went right back to sitting on eggs in the box inside the coop

Could the hen see the "coop" from where you had her new place. You posted above that she got off the nest and went right back to the coop. Did you have her in a pen with the door closed---or just another location without a door--or what ever??

 

[slordaz]

Could the hen see the "coop" from where you had her new place. You posted above that she got off the nest and went right back to the coop. Did you have her in a pen with the door closed---or just another location without a door--or what ever??

She could not see the coop, it had a closed door and when we went in to check on feed and water she got out

 

[Lady of McCamley]

Tried it a second time 3 days later and the hen smashed everyone of the eggs then went right back to sitting on eggs in the box inside the coop

Some hens are extremely stubborn about brooding in the location they have selected and will refuse to brood elsewhere. They literally bond to that nest.

If the location is safe enough, or you can do some subdividing, I simply let them work from it.

Otherwise, you've got a hen that is making brooding problematic. You may choose not to use her and try to break her....which if they are this stubborn, can be a problem as well.

So back to: If I can subdivide or create a better situation for that hen in the spot she has chosen, I will.

I've made wonderful brooding nests which they turn their beaks up at. Sometimes you just can't win unless you lock them into a broody hutch 24x7 so that the only place they can become broody is that hutch. (Which I did with my banties).

LofMc

 

[slordaz]

yeah we made em an insulated coop they didn't like either, the babies sure like it though, will do more investigating on breaking broodies, tried a cage with just food and water and that didn't break them either so gonna have to do some more reading on breaking them but they seem pretty determined

 

[slordaz]

do some broodies take longer than 3 days to break? Might see if can't exchange some of them if can't get them broke

 

[ilovechickens34]

Our broody hen with her first chick

 

[slordaz]

Our broody hen with her first chick

that sure is a cutie

 

[microchick]

It's been rainy today so I have been in the shop working on the nesting/brooding boxes for the new coop. My plan is to have a 'open' laying area above a private brooding box that will have the option of also having a fenced in little pen for the new chicks.

Question. Given some of the posts I've been reading about hens resisting being moved once they start to brood, should I give my hens access to the broody nesting box at all times so that they will have no objection to being in it if they are brooding? It would mean that they would have the option of laying in that nest as well as the 'upstairs' nesting box. Except in the event of a broody hen, then she alone would have access to the lower, broody nest box and mini run.

My lone broody was pretty obvious when she went broody so my thinking is that maybe it would be less traumatic for them if they were familiar with the broody nest.

 

[PD-Riverman]

do some broodies take longer than 3 days to break? Might see if can't exchange some of them if can't get them broke

If you have tried 3 days and it did not work----try 5 days. Is your wire bottom pen/cage elevated----up in the air?

 

[Labrador Lady]

We got our first baby chicks last September.Easter Eggers started going broody a month ago. I took her out of their coop and put her in a smaller coop and blocked off her nesting box so she would cool off quicker. That worked and after a couple days of isolation, I put her back with her flock...5 hens total. 3 weeks later and the same hen is back to being broody. I don't breed or hatch out eggs so I don't want my hens getting broody for weeks at a time. None of the other hens have gone broody. The problem I have now is there is a bully hen who keeps chasing after my broody, pecking her then this gets the other 3 hens to go after the broody. It's been 3 days now and I keep trying to reintroduce broody to her flock but the bully hen is being a mean girl. In the meantime, I am growing up 3 new baby chicks still inside our house. I will need my smaller spare coop soon so I really need to fix the situation going on with my bully hen and my broody so I can get things back to normal. Any ideas ?