Broody hen

[Pawpaw&Mawmaw]

I'm fairly new to raising chickens, although, I have learned a lot mostly from BYC (from ya'll). My hens will be 2 years old this spring and I have no rooster. I think I have my first broody hen but I'm not sure. A couple of days ago I noticed my hen Molly (a Buff Orpington), staying in one of the laying nests what seemed like all day. The next morning she was still in the nest, puffed out and seemed lethargic. Not the Molly I know at all! She is one of my most social hens and loves attention and being talked to. I started thinking she was egg bound and went into full emergency mode since I believe "broody" hens are not all that common. I worried about keeping her inside since it is very cold in Ohio right now. Taking her from the heat back out into the cold didn't seem like the best idea, but if she was going to die from being egg bound what did she have to loose. I did the warm water soak with Epsom Salt and dried her (she LOVED the blow dryer!). Checked her vent and Did Not feel an egg (but it can be further up I understand), and put her in a quite, dark place in the house. The next morning, no egg. To stay on the safe side I kept her inside until mid-day, but still no egg. At that point I took her out of the cage and watched her with no noticeable issues, so I took her back to the coop. Thank Heaven the temp did rise and was in the upper 20's outside and upper 30's in the coop. In the last couple of days she has still been laying in one of the nesting boxes a lot, but will get out when I bring veggies etc. It does not seem to matter if an egg is in the nesting box or not. I think she is broody?? Thoughts? I was thinking of getting a couple of fertile eggs from my neighbor, but what if she hatched at this time of year? That could be another issue....

 

[junebuggena]

An elevated wire cage works for me. 3 days in the cage with food and water but no bedding of any kind and they are back to normal.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally when you remove a broody hen from the nest she will make a clucking noise constantly and will be in a hurry to return to the nest. I have had silent broodies too. Broodies will walk around puffed up too and often the become defensive in the box. So behavior of you when will help determine what is going on.

 

[Welshies]

Update: Took care of the ladies this morning and the same signs as yesterday with Molly. In the nest upon arrival, got out, ate, pooped etc. and back to the nesting box. Puffed up and buried her head I assume to keep warmer. I had removed the one egg already in the same nesting box and it wasn't even hers. The egg was from one of my RIR's. With a broody hen is it typical to go back to the nesting box even when the egg(s) have been removed? I think I need to research broody hens more. I don't understand all the negatives of her being broody to know if I want to keep her that way. Does it really matter if I keep removing the eggs? Their not fertile. I only have two buffs and got two eggs yesterday so she must be laying? But in all honesty sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between my RIR eggs and the buffs. The buffs are usually slightly lighter in color but I have no way of telling for sure who laid which egg.

Broodies don't go broody because of the amount of eggs in the nest- they go broody because of a hormone change. I wouldn't let her sit just for the sake of it- and especially not on infertile eggs. Broodiness is extremely hard on the body, and many hens suffer with malnourishment because of it. If you want her to hatch out her eggs, get fertile ones for her to sit on- or break her of her broodiness ASAP.
The other hens probably climbed in the nest to lay.

 

[Welshies]

Okay...it looks like there are several ways of breaking a broody hen. Although I like the idea of her hatching in the spring, I'm not too into having her first clutch of chicks (and mine!) in the winter. If she goes broody again another time of year I would love to borrow a couple of fertile eggs from my neighbor and do it. That being said, taking her out of the box seems like the best way to go at this time of year. How long could this process go on? I'll do just about anything for my ladies, but I can't just stay up there all day every day.

Just removing her repeatedly from the nest box won't do anything. Breaking a broody is a very particular process. There's someone on here who has a successful method- maybe @aart or @Miss Lydia or @junebuggena knows a name or a method to help.

 

[Pawpaw&Mawmaw]

Thanks everyone for your feed back!
Unfortunately she has decided to be broody in all the ladies favorite nesting box. Why it's their favorite box I have no idea, but apparently they do! She's really starting to upset the rest of my flock. This leads me to think that if I gave her a couple of fertual eggs something bad would happen due to everyone else wanting in the same box. My main concern is keeping my Molly Ollie healthy. I'll do more research, maybe try junebuggena's suggestion. I hate the idea of her not being able to huddle while it's so cold here. I do hope she goes broody again later in the year.

 

[WindyTam]

My Buffy went missing three weeks ago! We searched high & low, and gave up, thinking a coyote must have gotten her, as she liked to roam onto the trees....long story short, I found her today!! Under the porch with about 20 eggs!! This is my first year with chickens...started in June with day old chicks...what should I do to help her?? It's a drafty porch, but she is up against the foundation. Do I leave her be, so as not to disturb her? Do I leave tidbits near her? This hideaway is quite a ways from the normal coop, and my chickens range the farm...I feel like a first time mommy!!

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Yes, we had 3 roosters, but 2 were so mean that they went in the freezer about 3-1/2 weeks ago. But, we still have one mild-mannered Roo, to watch over the girls. So, I believe they are fertile

They will hatch after 20-21 days of incubation, so they should be close. Once they hatch and she leaves the nest you may want to collect them and keep them confined for a week or two so the chicks can have access to food and chick starter.

 

[WindyTam]

They will hatch after 20-21 days of incubation, so they should be close. Once they hatch and she leaves the nest you may want to collect them and keep them confined for a week or two so the chicks can have access to food and chick starter.

Thank you for the heads up. Do they just continue to hatch day after day, since each egg was laid a day apart? I was thinking of piling up some hay around her area to just let her be, all cozy & all, with food & water nearby. But also thinking I could move the whole kit & caboodle into a brooder box we had built for when the chicks first arrived last summer. But wasn't sure if it would "put her off" of her clutch? So many questions, and so so thankful for BYC and your help OldHen Tam

 

[WindyTam]

As far as moving the clutch before they hatch many hens won't have it, though others have had luck doing it by confining the hen to a crate for a day or two with her eggs. My experiences has been that the hen wants to return to the sight of the nest, not necessarily the eggs. It's all instinct for them, and they don't really think, just act on the instincts.

Jeepers, Cheepers!! We woke up this morning to signs of a broken egg shell & the faintest little cheeps!! Motherhood!!!