Broody Hen Thread!

[BullChick]

Hi everybody. Quick one. My mother in law has two hens who are super broody. Two frizzle bantams. They are laying an egg almost every day. Refuse to get off nests and there is no rooster. How can the broodiness be broken? They get up to eat but thats it. I dont feel thats healthy.

Put them in a wire bottom cage or put cold cloths in the nest to cool their undersides.

 

[ShanandGem]

I got the unhatched egg away from my Mama hen today! Actually I managed to snatch her entire cat carrier nest and dump it and give it fresh bedding. She wasn't super pleased with me but she'll get over it. The egg was clear, no development at all, which means she hatched 100% of her fertile eggs. Good girl!

 

[the poppster]

Put them in a wire bottom cage or put cold cloths in the nest to cool their undersides.

or find them some fertile eggs and let them hatch out some chicks....but if that's not an option...do what Motorcycle which says...a wire bottom cage, set up off the ground so cool air can get to the chickens breast area....cooling her off will shut down the hormones that are causing the broody behavior. No hormones no broody.

 

[cluck queen]

I'm fairly new to the chicken scene, this past month I've have my new Hampshire, Lucy get broody on me. I've also had 3 leghorn hens get broody. All this happening at one time 4 hens trying to squeeze eachother out of nest box and nipping at me!!! I'm sure I because of my roo but why do they pretend to go broody after they lay everyday? They won't stay on eggs just sit in there arguing and if I left eggs they will all eventually leave them and not care to brood... any ideas

 

[slordaz]

well this outta be fun, my free ranging flock is on lockdown due to predators and after 3 days of just cat naps and up all night live trapping, got a couple days rest and noticed I got 3 hens all sitting on eggs sometime in the last 5 days.won't even let me peek see how many eggs they got under them. but knowing my flock they all contributed to what is under the hens lol.

These are the ones the barred rock hatched out almost 3 months ago, now they are in with the main flock lol

 

[slordaz]

I'm fairly new to the chicken scene, this past month I've have my new Hampshire, Lucy get broody on me. I've also had 3 leghorn hens get broody. All this happening at one time 4 hens trying to squeeze eachother out of nest box and nipping at me!!! I'm sure I because of my roo but why do they pretend to go broody after they lay everyday? They won't stay on eggs just sit in there arguing and if I left eggs they will all eventually leave them and not care to brood... any ideas

Because they build up the nest and sit once they have how many they are going to hatch, When I had that happen brought out pet carriers and put them in there with door open, that helped some of the fighting just didn't have enough for 9 as only had one nesting box that could divide into 2 for hens. They inevitibely wanted the same spot but pet carriers work well as you can move them easy enough once the start sitting without having them freak out cause the eggs got moved to another spot

 

[ShanandGem]

Because they build up the nest and sit once they have how many they are going to hatch, When I had that happen brought out pet carriers and put them in there with door open, that helped some of the fighting just didn't have enough for 9 as only had one nesting box that could divide into 2 for hens. They inevitibely wanted the same spot but pet carriers work well as you can move them easy enough once the start sitting without having them freak out cause the eggs got moved to another spot

I agree pet carriers make great broody boxes. I moved my hen to one the moment I discovered she was broody. Today when she and her week old chicks were out having a bite to eat I snatched it out of her space, changed the bedding and got rid of the unhatched egg. Very easy to deal with.
I have been haunting thrift stores for pet carriers of all sizes. They are dirt cheap, come in handy as hospitals, broody boxes, isolation boxes. In case of fire evacuation it doesn't hurt to have them on hand either.

 

[slordaz]

I agree pet carriers make great broody boxes. I moved my hen to one the moment I discovered she was broody. Today when she and her week old chicks were out having a bite to eat I snatched it out of her space, changed the bedding and got rid of the unhatched egg. Very easy to deal with.
I have been haunting thrift stores for pet carriers of all sizes. They are dirt cheap, come in handy as hospitals, broody boxes, isolation boxes. In case of fire evacuation it doesn't hurt to have them on hand either.

I picked up 4 for under 10.00 at garage sales too

 

[Puddin Fluff]

I'm fairly new to the chicken scene, this past month I've have my new Hampshire, Lucy get broody on me. I've also had 3 leghorn hens get broody. All this happening at one time 4 hens trying to squeeze eachother out of nest box and nipping at me!!! I'm sure I because of my roo but why do they pretend to go broody after they lay everyday? They won't stay on eggs just sit in there arguing and if I left eggs they will all eventually leave them and not care to brood... any ideas

If they are squabbling and fighting over the favorite nest box, that is normal laying behavior. Even if you have ten nest boxes, they will all want to pick the same one to lay in, generally. Any hen who is laying or preparing to lay her egg displays grouchyness and a protective behavior over the egg she is laying as well as any other eggs that might be in the nest. If they are leaving the eggs and going to roost at night, you do not have a broody, just a normal, grumpy laying hen. Enjoy.

 

[carlf]

Here is my broody hen, "Little Hen". She's a Barred Rock, born in February 2014. When she lays, she lays a smaller than normal brown egg. Ever since she matured, she has gone broody about every 2 months. So this spring, when she went broody, we got 11 fertile eggs for her to set. I put them under her on the 3rd or 4th day she had been setting on the nest. She took right to it, turning & re-arranging the eggs as she should. She would "growl" at me and puff up when I opened the nest box lid and when I picked her up to check the eggs. But she only pecked me twice in 21 days and not very hard.
After 21 days she hatched all 11 eggs and was a fantastic momma. It was really neat to watch her brood the chicks and show them food. Lots of vocalizing. And it was really cute when they all tried to ride on her back.
Her peeps are now 8 weeks old. About 5 days ago she started laying again and also stopped letting the chicks get too close.

If you have a broody hen, I highly recommend letting her set, very rewarding to watch a momma hen at work!

One the nest with the first peeps peeking out:


Momma showing peeps the food in my hand: