Broody hens

[reluctant farmer]

We got two hens sitting on all the girls eggs, one yells when I try to get the eggs. Is it ok to remove eggs from a sitting bird? My thinks we need to wait till dark. I think we should just remove them. We help to settle this disagreement, thanks

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Remove all eggs daily unless you are trying to hatch. Broody hens need to be broke if you aren't letting them hatch. Remove them from the nest and pen them up. It's recommended to use a wire bottom crate slightly elevated off the ground. Pen for 3-7 days. Feed and water in the pen. Release after a few days. If they return to the nest, than back to the cage for another few days.

 

[BaaKaaawk]

We got two hens sitting on all the girls eggs, one yells when I try to get the eggs. Is it ok to remove eggs from a sitting bird? My thinks we need to wait till dark. I think we should just remove them. We help to settle this disagreement, thanks

You can and absolutely should remove the eggs. First reason: if you don;t you'll start mixing up eggs and you don't want to get eggs that have been sat on more than a few days! And two, like mentioned, if you have no plans for your broody hens to hatch eggs you should probably try to break them of it. It's better for them and you. A Broody hen will pretty much sacrifice her health to sit on the eggs until they hatch so you're not doing anything mean breaking her of the cycle.

 

[reluctant farmer]

You can and absolutely should remove the eggs. First reason: if you don;t you'll start mixing up eggs and you don't want to get eggs that have been sat on more than a few days! And two, like mentioned, if you have no plans for your broody hens to hatch eggs you should probably try to break them of it. It's better for them and you. A Broody hen will pretty much sacrifice her health to sit on the eggs until they hatch so you're not doing anything mean breaking her of the cycle.

That's what I thought! I figured they would get accustomed to sitting on them and get worse.

 

[Moby75165]

What’s the best way to break a broody hen.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

What’s the best way to break a broody hen.

I wrote it above.

Remove all eggs daily unless you are trying to hatch. Broody hens need to be broke if you aren't letting them hatch. Remove them from the nest and pen them up. It's recommended to use a wire bottom crate slightly elevated off the ground. Pen for 3-7 days. Feed and water in the pen. Release after a few days. If they return to the nest, than back to the cage for another few days.

 

[aart]

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 (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) 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.

 

[RebelChief]

I think I also have a broody hen. She's day two sitting on the nest. I thankfully have a wire crate from a puppy we had so I will set that up in the coop and get her separated from the nest.