Broody Hen ????

[RipsRidges2]

Below is my original post ----

One of my hens has been in the nest box over 24 hours. She has always been gentle, but when I put my hand near her she screams and pecks pretty hard. Over night she did move from one nest box over to the next. Also noticed that her feathers appear to be puffed out slightly, which I assume is to help her stay cool because it gets quite warm in the coop. I did put a fan in there for the girls. Any Thoughts ??? Thanks

Now my question is this--- She is broody, but not sitting on any eggs. I don't know what to do because I don't have any fertile eggs. Don't want any chicks. Help

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Search "breaking broody hrn".....you'll find several threads on the different methods folks here use. I, personally, prefer the broody buster. ...a wire bottom cage, elevated on blocks to maximize air flow. Hen. Food and water go in, leave her for 3-4 days, let her out and if she runs back to the nest she goes back to the cage. If you are experiencing heat this tone of year be sure to locate it accordingly (ie shade) so she isn't overheated and unable to get away

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Unless you already have a clutch of eggs ready to go or almost ready to set, break her up. The only way that I can describe a hens' brooding is to compare it too a woman being in labor.

 

[bobbi-j]

The only way that I can describe a hens' brooding is to compare it too a woman being in labor.

Huh??? I've been trying not to, but I can't help it. I have to ask - have you ever seen (or been) a woman in labor? There is a bit of a difference. Broody behavior is strictly hormonal, and is something that can be stopped. Labor, however, not so much. Once it starts, there's no going back (I know-I asked somewhere in the middle of delivering DS 2. They told me I had to keep going.)

That having been said, I think broody behavior could be compared to a woman with major PMS. (I can say that, being a woman who's husband and sons learned early on when to toss in chocolate and slowly back away).

 

[MamaChick74]

I have had 2 broody hens and I just kept pulling them out of the nesting box. It is a pain and time consuming but you should keep up with it to break them of this. It took a few days for mine to finally give up lol

 

[aart]

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.
Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.

 

[RipsRidges2]

Search "breaking broody hrn".....you'll find several threads on the different methods folks here use. I, personally, prefer the broody buster. ...a wire bottom cage, elevated on blocks to maximize air flow. Hen. Food and water go in, leave her for 3-4 days, let her out and if she runs back to the nest she goes back to the cage. If you are experiencing heat this tone of year be sure to locate it accordingly (ie shade) so she isn't overheated and unable to get away

Thanks for the Great Info.

 

[Sublight]

The wire bottom cage is how my dad breaks them of broodiness. It works.

 

[MommaHen2Many]

This is how I break my broody hens too. Some breeds are just more likely to go broody especially when they KNOW its the best time for hatching chicks. You DO want to break her, because she will loose weight just sitting on nothing. Every day as the others lay eggs, she will transfer herself to another nest box, and sit on them till you take them- and then will continue to sit on nothing.
Just to add a cautionary note if you free range...I had 3 go broody this spring, and I didn't want to hatch babies, so I did what was advised with the wire cage. Worked on two, the ole' momma however was determined to sit (she always wanted to do this in the spring and the fall) She was 4 yrs old and this was the only reason I kept her, she was a great momma! She even adopted babies that we incubated, and then just "gave to her".

Anyway, So after "breaking" her broodyness, with in a couple weeks, here we go again, and I had to do it again, then a couple weeks later, she would disappear during the day (we free range) then one night she didn't show up for roosting time. I guessed that she had "nested out" and hoped for her safety .... we have too many preditors. I looked for her the next day and couldn't find her, the kids looked too. I looked every day for about 4 days, when something found her at night, as there was a feather trail I traced it back to her nest. (there were 12 eggs in that nest) So sad to have that reliable Momma gone, but I learned if they want to sit....sometimes they just want to sit!

Do you have friends who have chickens who might want to have her hatch fertile eggs for them? It would take her out of production, but sometimes you cant stop mother nature (ie the laboring scenario! lol
good luck

 

[Chickenlover2017]

Maybe this Will cheer you up https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/funny-chickens.1182202/