Broody Hen Thread!

[KJzCola]

No problem. We are all here to help one another.

Marking a few air cells lets you know that the eggs are on track for hatching. That air cell should expand and grow larger as the chick develops. Do a search for air cell development here on BYC and you should come up with a chart that shows air cell development on a healthy egg.

Your hens may surprise you. Mine are super friendly but generally turn into little velociraptors when I reach under them to candle eggs. Try to reach under from behind if you can. My hens generally just glare at me and give me a good peck until they see that I'm giving them their egg back. When I do that, I just put the egg at her breast feathers and she will tuck it under herself. Kinda distracts her long enough for me to snatch another egg out from under her.

Thank you very much for this advice on approach. I dod this and although she made very angry noises at me though the process, she didnt run or bite, and not even a peck!

 

[oakeve]

I'm about a month into owning my first Hens and I have no idea what a Broody hen is?? Can someone please explain in simple terms for a newbie!

Eve x

 

[cherinswin]

I don't know how to start a new thread but I have a serious question. I have a hen that has gone broody in the past last year and hatched a total of three checks on two separate occasions. I don't have any roosters this year by t I did get fertile eggs from a friend. My hen Was showing signs beeing broody so I put the eggs under her. When I left for work she was sitting on the nest when I came home she was sitting on nest. Long story short two days of her acting like this then she stopped. She went through a couple days of just foraging around with her friends. Today and all day yesterday she's been sitting on the nest all day and night. My concern is for the eggs under her will they still be viable ? I guess only time will tell, she's got a dozen eggs under her and Im counted the days till they hatch. Just curious if anybody had any similar experiences and had chicks hatch. Thanks all!!

 

[KJzCola]

I'm about a month into owning my first Hens and I have no idea what a Broody hen is?? Can someone please explain in simple terms for a newbie!

Eve x

Broody means that their maternal instimct has kicked in. Some hens act like their going broody and arnt as solidly commited, and others are VERY stubborn about it.

When a hen "goes broody" it means that she no longer is focused on her own well being, but focused in the task of hatching and raising chicks. Eggs take an average of 21 days to hatch and the. The chicks take a few weeks to "raise" so this is a very in debth commitment for a chicken.

How to tell if a hen is broody:
You will botice that you no longer see her out and about, playing in the run, foraging, dust bathing, etc. (I was worried that mine had been grabbed by a hawk, but alas; she was in the nest box). You will only find the hen in the nest box for days on end. Sitting on whatever eggs she can find. She will (or should) get off the nest once or twice a day to eat and drink; this may take up to 30 minutes of her time each day, but can also be so fast you never see it. When you approach her in the nest box she may make warning noises at you, she may puff up BIG to deter you, and she may peck or bite; she also may not. If you have only ine hen of each breed and are able to tell who is laying by what color of style of eggs you have in the box, you will notice that a broody hen stips laying eggs once she feels she has enough to sit on. If she does have quite a few under her, her body will be so low and spread out in the nest box its almost comical, like she turned halfway into fluid to cover them all.

I hope this helps!

 

[lilwildrabbit]

I have two hens that do that for about 4 hours a day but are not committed they make me crazy both act broody when on the nest they puff out and get really mean but then when you think they are they leave the nest and that's it! Till the next day. I have 8 nest boxes and almost all my hens want just the two that the wannabe broody hens sit on.

 

[KJzCola]

I have two hens that do that for about 4 hours a day but are not committed they make me crazy both act broody when on the nest they puff out and get really mean but then when you think they are they leave the nest and that's it! Till the next day. I have 8 nest boxes and almost all my hens want just the two that the wannabe broody hens sit on.

Well thats frusterating! I know its VERY normal for all hens to favor 1 or 2 boxes no matter how many you may provide them. Basically if this one is the box that the other hen trusts for her eggs, thats the one she wants her own eggs in. I wonder if this type of behavior for a few hours a day is considered "normal" to any expent for birds. Peheraps its an issue with laying rather than broodiness?

 

[lilwildrabbit]

It's just them two hens lol and I'll have a line of hens squawking for the two boxes with the others empty it's funny in a way and not in a way!! And yes I have placed sacrificial eggs in the other nest so I can get some to accept the other nest only one has chosen a new box to lay in I hope my new ones take to the other boxes I would hate to see a waiting line of 10-12 birds for just one nest It would be like the DMV lol

 

[ChickNanny13]

I got a broody Blue Wyandotte (2x), broke her the first time (Jan) after several days of removing her through the day & at night (putting her on the roost). She's been in the nest since Mar 9, removing her isn't working this time so I ordered a wire cage....I was told allowing her to hatch some eggs would break her?

Don't have a Roo but I could get some fertile eggs however, I don't plan on letting her set until after my Mom has her surgery & recovered which will be around mid - May. Don't mind her not laying but her weight loss is a concern. I know she eats, I remove her from the nest when I feed & scatter treats, have seen her "snacking" & drinking.

Another issue is I have 5 hens (year old) & they all insists on laying in the same elevated nest. So was thinking of setting another at a lower elevation (ft off the ground) & putting the broody in it but not sure she'll go back to the original nest. Guess I need to just try & see. I'd like to keep her in the coop with the rest, not having to deal integrating her after the fact.

IDEAS? I'd prefer breaking her since I can't have anymore chickens here & no Roos, down fall of living in a residential area

 

[KJzCola]

I got a broody Blue Wyandotte (2x), broke her the first time (Jan) after several days of removing her through the day & at night (putting her on the roost). She's been in the nest since Mar 9, removing her isn't working this time so I ordered a wire cage....I was told allowing her to hatch some eggs would break her?  

Don't have a Roo but I could get some fertile eggs however, I don't plan on letting her set until after my Mom has her surgery & recovered which will be around mid - May.  Don't mind her not laying but her weight loss is a concern.  I know she eats, I remove her from the nest when I feed & scatter treats, have seen her "snacking" & drinking.  

Another issue is I have 5 hens (year old) & they all insists on laying in the same elevated nest.  So was thinking of setting another at a lower elevation (ft off the ground) & putting the broody in it but not sure she'll go back to the original nest.  Guess I need to just try & see.  I'd like to keep her in the coop with the rest, not having to deal integrating her after the fact.

IDEAS?  I'd prefer breaking her since I can't have anymore chickens here & no Roos, down fall of living in a residential area

To my understanding, at some point she will just give up. It may take a while, and I don't have experience with it myself but from what I have read eventually they get tired and assume that nothing will come of it. I also have read about other techniques such as removing her from that coop into a different environment until she starts acting normal and then putting her back. My personal idea to streamline the situation would be to buy one or two baby chicks she just to give to her to break it and then you may need to get rid of them once she decides that they're old enough to survive on their own.

 

[KJzCola]

It's just them two hens lol and I'll have a line of hens squawking for the two boxes with the others empty it's funny in a way and not in a way!! And yes I have placed sacrificial eggs in the other nest so I can get some to accept the other nest only one has chosen a new box to lay in I hope my new ones take to the other boxes I would hate to see a waiting line of 10-12 birds for just one nest It would be like the DMV lol

Bwahahqha chicken DEC, Dept of Egg collection!!!!! Omg lol there are eight nest boxes but only two of them have a clerk in them to help you with your business. Lol im dying ))