Broody hen

[Mamatomany123]

So, I finally have a hen who decided to be broody and try to hatch golf balls. Checked the nesting box before bed and she was in there screaming at me. Not a huge sign because she always screams at me when shes in there but she has never laid this late. So I put her on the roost. She walked around for about 5 minutes then made her way back to the box. I left her there for 30 minutes seeing if maybe she did need to lay. Nothing but screams and puffiness. So into chicken jail she went. Shes now in a wire dog crate lifted on some bricks, bottom is open and is super unhappy about that. How long do I leave her there before attempting to let her out. 1 day? 2? I wish she would have done this a month ago instead. I could have slipped the unexpected new chicks under her. I'm actually wondering if these new chicks are what is causing the "broodiness".

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd start with 48 hours then, depending on her behavior (if she's still showing obvious broody signs, wait another 24 hrs and check), you can try letting her out to see if she heads to the nest box.

IMO new chicks can trigger broodiness, because the sight and sound of them probably messes with hormones in some hens.

 

[azygous]

You have a couple of layers as issues go. One is how long to break a broody? The other is maybe this broody is hormonal as a result of exposure for several weeks to new chicks.

The first issue is easy. A broody should be let out of the cage to dirt bathe at least once a day. When I let a broody out to take a breather, I will guard like a prison guard, not taking my eyes off her. Until she's broken, the hen will dirt bathe, hassle a few pals, then zip back to her favorite nest box as if teleported. You swear you just looked away for a blink of an eye, and the broody has disappeared. You find her Velcroed to the nest, therefore, she needs another day in the cage.

The day you let her out for a dirt bath and she remains there and then quietly rejoins her pals instead of zipping back to the nest, she's broken.

Now, the second issue. I happen to have personal experience with new store bought chicks triggering a hen's hormones a few weeks after being exposed to them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...out-a-nanny-hen.1407935/page-20#post-24234621

Read that thread of mine and think about whether you'd like to turn your chicks over to the round-the-clock care of a nanny hen.

 

[Mamatomany123]

You have a couple of layers as issues go. One is how long to break a broody? The other is maybe this broody is hormonal as a result of exposure for several weeks to new chicks.

The first issue is easy. A broody should be let out of the cage to dirt bathe at least once a day. When I let a broody out to take a breather, I will guard like a prison guard, not taking my eyes off her. Until she's broken, the hen will dirt bathe, hassle a few pals, then zip back to her favorite nest box as if teleported. You swear you just looked away for a blink of an eye, and the broody has disappeared. You find her Velcroed to the nest, therefore, she needs another day in the cage.

The day you let her out for a dirt bath and she remains there and then quietly rejoins her pals instead of zipping back to the nest, she's broken.

Now, the second issue. I happen to have personal experience with new store bought chicks triggering a hen's hormones a few weeks after being exposed to them. https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...out-a-nanny-hen.1407935/page-20#post-24234621

Read that thread of mine and think about whether you'd like to turn your chicks over to the round-the-clock care of a nanny hen.

I definitely would love that. It not sure how that would work. They're already 2 weeks old and today is the first day she stayed in the nesting box. I'll read through your article though.

 

[rosemarythyme]

azygous has an amazing nanny hen. But the last time one of my girls went broody (triggered by new chicks) she was downright ornery to them, chasing them and even picking one up and throwing it. So... depending on the hen (you would know her personality best), trying to let her foster "the kids" may or may not work out. Definitely supervise if you decide to try it.

 

[Mamatomany123]

azygous has an amazing nanny hen. But the last time one of my girls went broody (triggered by new chicks) she was downright ornery to them, chasing them and even picking one up and throwing it. So... depending on the hen (you would know her personality best), trying to let her foster "the kids" may or may not work out. Definitely supervise if you decide to try it.

I'm probably not going to go that route, even though I would absolutely love it. I didnt want new chicks in the first place so this has been a pain but shes just barely a year old and her first time going broody. I dont think she would be very good at it.

 

[Ridgerunner]

We all go abut this differently. when I put a broody hen in my broody buster I leave her in there for 72 hours before I let her out. My need is to break the broody. With food and clean water in with her I've never seen one hurt by being locked in there for that long. Does 72 hours always work? No, but it usually does.

Changes in hormones are what causes a hen to go broody. I have looked but cannot find any kind of scientific study as to what causes those hormones to change. I'd really appreciate it if someone could find one. I've let eggs pile up in a nest without a hen going broody, and most of my hens go broody at least once a year. They just don't usually go broody when I want them to.

I regularly hatch chicks in an incubator and raise them from hatch in a brooder in my coop. That's usually fairly early in the year, like February. I've never had a hen go broody with those chicks in there. Later in the season I have hens that hatch and raise chicks with the flock. Sometimes a hen may go broody when that hen is raising her chicks but usually not.

Is it possible that hearing chicks peeping can cause a hen to go broody. I guess anything is possible but that has not been my experience. For what little it is worth my record is three broody hens in the broody buster at one time with no young chicks running around peeping. That was three hens out of eight, really cut into egg production.

 

[Mamatomany123]

We all go abut this differently. when I put a broody hen in my broody buster I leave her in there for 72 hours before I let her out. My need is to break the broody. With food and clean water in with her I've never seen one hurt by being locked in there for that long. Does 72 hours always work? No, but it usually does.

Changes in hormones are what causes a hen to go broody. I have looked but cannot find any kind of scientific study as to what causes those hormones to change. I'd really appreciate it if someone could find one. I've let eggs pile up in a nest without a hen going broody, and most of my hens go broody at least once a year. They just don't usually go broody when I want them to.

I regularly hatch chicks in an incubator and raise them from hatch in a brooder in my coop. That's usually fairly early in the year, like February. I've never had a hen go broody with those chicks in there. Later in the season I have hens that hatch and raise chicks with the flock. Sometimes a hen may go broody when that hen is raising her chicks but usually not.
Is it possible that hearing chicks peeping can cause a hen to go broody. I guess anything is possible but that has not been my experience. For what little it is worth my record is three broody hens in the broody buster at one time with no young chicks running around peeping. That was three hens out of eight, really cut into egg production.

I've had 2 other batches of chicks with these girls before but they were younger. I'm sure it could be a number of things or just a coincidence. They just turned a year old last month, weather is warming up, new chicks peeping. Out of all of my chickens shes the one I suspected to go broody though. She always hisses at me if shes in the box, even if shes just laying.

 

[Mamatomany123]

Well I let her put this morning. She scratched around a bit but went back to the box. I tried to put the chicks under her (knowing it probably wouldnt work because they're over 2 weeks old) and she let them sit for a minute then attacked. Got them out, put them back in their separated part of the run, and shes now in the crate with food and water. I'll leave her there for 72 hours then try to let her out again.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Well I let her put this morning. She scratched around a bit but went back to the box. I tried to put the chicks under her (knowing it probably wouldnt work because they're over 2 weeks old) and she let them sit for a minute then attacked. Got them out, put them back in their separated part of the run, and shes now in the crate with food and water. I'll leave her there for 72 hours then try to let her out again.

Glad you were keeping an eye on things. At least now you know for sure.