Broody hen?

[bpoore04]

Hi I was wondering if one of my hens are going broody? I collect my eggs everyday, and one day she will be sitting on them and won’t let me get them out from under her so I’ll just leave them but I come back the next day and she isn’t sitting. But then the next day she will be sitting again. It is about every other day she decides to sit on them, and then leaves them the next day. I have no clue what her deal is and was wondering if you guys might. Thanks

 

[aart]

Ok thank you! I guess time will tell. If she does go completely broody will she need to be separated from the flock for those 21 days?(and days after because the chicks are so little?)

I like to separate a broody with a wire wall in the coop while she's incubating, then take down wall about a week after hatch.


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.

 

[bpoore04]

@bpoore04 update?? Did she ever commit to the broodiness?

Nope. She still sat every other day for a few more weeks and then she just stopped. I wish she had completely committed though because I wanted to hatch chicks under a hen instead of an incubator. Anyways, an opportunity arose for me to put a few eggs in the incubator so I ended up with 4 chicks. And I had to sell my rooster due to aggressiveness so . Don’t know what I’ll do if she does completely go broody. I guess I’ll just have to break her

 

[bpoore04]

How come...not enough space for more birds?
Remember approx. half of those hatched be males...got a plan for that?

I have room it’s just that I already have 19 hens and I’m getting about 15 eggs a day and I couldn’t handle much more. Can’t get them sold quick enough. I have a cousin who is going to take 6 or 8 though so I’ll hatch 6 or 8 chicks to replace the ones I sell. And yes I have people who could take the roosters if that’s what we hatch out

 

[aart]

I just went down there and she was off the nest running around trying to get out of where I had her sectioned off

Am going thru this now.....a 'reluctant' broody.
I always move my broodies to a sectioned off area with a floor nest, I wait until I'm sure they're broody(a few days/night in a main nest). Then move them at night to the floor nest with fake eggs, if they stick for a few more days, then I give them fresh fertile eggs.
Usually it's pretty easy, this one is skittish...or maybe I tried to move her too soon.
I think she's finally settled. It's frustrating.

 

[janiedoe]

Some of my hens like to linger after they lay. If they are broody they will sleep in the nesting box. They also growl at me when I gather the eggs.
I do have one broody who starts out like that. She always settles in after 3 or 4 days of hopping on and off the nest. I give her eggs after a week. She growl and bites when she gets broody. She is a tiny terror when broody, but a sweetheart the rest of the time.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Agreed with the above two posts. My hens actually spend quite some time after they've laid their eggs, and some even hiss while laying. But unless they're actually puffed up at you and growling/hissing, maybe even when out of the box, then they're probably not broody. Also when they're truly broody, like others have said, they will start spending all their time in the box, including at night.

 

[bpoore04]

Some hens just like to spend more time in the nesting box. Is she puffing out her feathers and growling when come close to her? If a hen spends the night sitting in the nesting box then she is probably broody.

She flattens out like a pancake and makes a cluck cluck cluck sound. She is in there at dark when the others are roosting, but that is only on some days

 

[LikeTurkeys]

She flattens out like a pancake and makes a cluck cluck cluck sound. She is in there at dark when the others are roosting, but that is only on some days

Classic! She may start sitting continually then soon. Mine did that before they were fully committed.

 

[LikeTurkeys]

Buff Orpington. She will be a year old in April

Then I think she will. Both of my Buff Orpingtons went broody, and they did the same things yours is doing. So just give her some time.