Broody Hens, But No Rooster...

[9ByDesign]

We have 6 hens of various varieties that are between 9 mos. and nearly 1 year. We have no rooster, as we want these for pets/ egg layers only. This past week our Jersey Black Giant has gone loco (ie broody ::wink:

. She is sitting in the 'favorite' nest box and won't get off the others' eggs. She hasn't pecked/ bitten me yet...and I just push her off each day...but she is getting harder and harder to push off. Today I pushed her off and into the coop and she just stayed where she landed, trance-like.

First...Do you think she will start biting me? LOL. I am wondering when I should start wearing gloves, haha. They are all hand-raised and allow us to pick them up all the time...but she is "fluffing up" instead of squating when we come near her.

Second...How do you get your broodies off so you can gather the eggs for eatin'???

Third... Are Jersey Giants known to be broody? What others are commonly broody without a rooster? (We currently have 2 BR, 1JG, 1 Light Brahma, 1 Buff Orpington, 1 Easter Egger, and 4 polish hen chicks.)

Thank you- from a first time chicken owner

!!

 

[Judy]

Yes, she might very well bite. I put one hand along side their neck and face, then reach under with the other. They want to peck the hand under them, not the hand screening the head. But mine are used to my doing this. Some people wear thick winter gloves.

Going broody has nothing to do with a rooster, and little or nothing to do with whether there are eggs there. It is a hormonal thing. I don't know how likely JG's are to go broody, but you can get a broody in a breed that supposedly never goes broody, anyway.

I'll give you a link to a good article about broodies. It tells which breeds are most likely to go broody on the first page. And it tells how to go about breaking a broody on the last page.

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Broody-Hens-1.html

 

[Judy]

Henderson's breed chart says JG's are an occasional brooder.

 

[9ByDesign]

Thanks for the great info

!!

 

[Happy Chooks]

If you want to add to your flock, you could pick up a couple day old chicks from the feedstore and slip them under her at night.

 

[9ByDesign]

Do you think my 4 week old chicks would work? I still have them separated...

 

[Happy Chooks]

Quote:
No, they are too old. You want day olds for most hens to accept them.

 

[pontoosuc]

My Dominique went broody and I picked up fertile eggs from my friend. She hatched 10 out of 11!!

She was a hand raised bird and never tried to bite me. Of course now I have 10 chicks that are 2 weeks old and trying to find homes for them eventually.

A really awesome experience if you want to do it. Good luck!