Broody Hen?

[Catherine Hughes]

Thanks for asking this @beth1004. I am in the same situation, and I appreciate the advice.

What did you end up doing? I'd love to know. Did she stay truly broody? Will you have her hatch a clutch? Did you end up having to "break" her? I'm so curious!

My screeching pancake has been really b*tchy lately, yelling at any and everyone who approached her, even when she wasn't on the nest and just free ranging. She'd get all puffed up and cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck. Tonight, she chose to stay on the nest instead of roost.

Hubby says I should "break" her. If she stays this way for 3 weeks, I'm thinking I'll try to get her to adopt a chick. Maybe. She's pretty godzilla-ish right now.

She sounds a lot like my hen. I checked on her last night, and I believe the hen wanted to kill me. At least that was the look in her eye.

 

[Aunt Angus]

She sounds a lot like my hen. I checked on her last night, and I believe the hen wanted to kill me. At least that was the look in her eye.

Right?!

It's kind of funny, though. When I go into the coop and she goes off, it cracks me up.

I asked my husband to collect the eggs for me yesterday and didn't warn him. He came running out! He had no idea what was making that screeching noise because Poppy (my broody) was hidden behind the nesting box curtains. He thought there was some wild animal in there. Hilarious!

 

[mili137]

It's a whole other learning curve!!
I'll paste a bunch of my notes, hopefully something in there will help.
I would not leave eggs in the nest collect them all daily,
reach right under her and take them.

First make sure she is broody.
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, doesn't she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

When I have a broody I wait until she's been in the nest most the day and all night for 2-3 days...along with those other signs I posted.
Then I put her in the broody enclosure with fake eggs in the floor nest, she won't like being moved, but if she is truly good and broody she will settle onto the new nest within a half a day. Then I give her fresh fertile eggs and mark the calendar.
I like them separated by wire from the flock, it's just easier all around.
No having to mark eggs and remove any additions daily, no taking up a laying nest, no going back to the wrong nest after the daily constitutional. I would think this would be best if you're gone at work all day.


You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for more chickens and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience goes about 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 or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(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. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.
View attachment 1716148

what breed is the hen in photo

 

[aart]

I checked on her last night, and I believe the hen wanted to kill me. At least that was the look in her eye.

Overcome your fear(with long sleeves, leather gloves and a scratch bribe if necessary) and touch her, reach under her...get her used to you so you can manage things while she's setting.

I asked my husband to collect the eggs for me yesterday and didn't warn him. He came running out! He had no idea what was making that screeching noise because Poppy (my broody) was hidden behind the nesting box curtains. He thought there was some wild animal in there. Hilarious!

Oh, that's just mean...but yes, hilarious!

what breed is the hen in photo

Marans mix.

 

[beth1004]

My girl is an Amaracauna. Here she is on her nest.

 

[Bdbutton]

I also have a broody Buff Orpington. She went broody on Sunday. This is a first for me. I need to break her because I don’t have a rooster and obviously she can’t hatch chicks. I put her in a dog crate yesterday afternoon. She is still sitting in there this morning. How long will it take to break her? How long should I leave her in the crate? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[beth1004]

I also have a broody Buff Orpington. She went broody on Sunday. This is a first for me. I need to break her because I don’t have a rooster and obviously she can’t hatch chicks. I put her in a dog crate yesterday afternoon. She is still sitting in there this morning. How long will it take to break her? How long should I leave her in the crate? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I’m new to this. Read posts earlier in this thread from aart. Aart explains how to break her. Mine didn’t want to be broken and since I have fertile eggs, I figured she could hatch herself some babies and maybe I’d get some Easter Eggers. I’ll update this as I go and will most likely post more questions.

 

[beth1004]

Right?!

It's kind of funny, though. When I go into the coop and she goes off, it cracks me up.

I asked my husband to collect the eggs for me yesterday and didn't warn him. He came running out! He had no idea what was making that screeching noise because Poppy (my broody) was hidden behind the nesting box curtains. He thought there was some wild animal in there. Hilarious!

 

[Bdbutton]

I’m new to this. Read posts earlier in this thread from aart. Aart explains how to break her. Mine didn’t want to be broken and since I have fertile eggs, I figured she could hatch herself some babies and maybe I’d get some Easter Eggers. I’ll update this as I go and will most likely post more questions.

I read the post from aart, however, there was no mention of how long it would take to break her.

 

[beth1004]

I read the post from aart, however, there was no mention of how long it would take to break her.

I may have read somewhere else that it can take 3-5 days. Let her out an hour or so before bed time and if she goes back to a nest, back into the crate she goes. If she roosts, then you are good to go.