Broody Pullet...

[krista74]

Yeah, I didn't know either until I read about it in one of my Chicken-Keeping Manuals. Apparently it's quite common, particularly in birds that free-range. They will set up a secret nest, and quietly go and lay in it every day until they have a full sized clutch. Once they've reached their full quota they will sit on the nest and refuse to budge, no matter where that nest might be - in a safe place or not!

I know when one of my girls went Broody she had a naked chest for two weeks before she even started growling and puffing out her feathers. I knew something was up though! When I caved in and gave her the 4 available eggs I had to give her, she still kept on laying for a few more days until she ended up with 8 eggs in total under her. Up until that point she was still getting up from the nest a LOT, and for very long periods during the day (sometimes several hours at a time). Once she had her 8 eggs though, that was it. In her mind, she must have thought she had a full clutch. She sat permanently from then on, and she never got off the nest in front of me again.

All her chicks hatched on the same day, so I guess she knew what she was doing!

They really are fascinating creatures. I have read so many books about their behaviour and am never ceased to be amazed by what they get up to!

- Krista

 

[desertchicken92]

So I have 4 nesting boxes 4 feet off the ground and only 4 chickens.The nests are open on top.I stuck a cardboard box with a cutout over the top so the other chickens can lay without being growled at and so she can brood in peace...Heres a pic. Seem okay? Any other advice would be great, thanks guys!

 

[desertchicken92]

I know it looks kinda crappy Also will she still get down to eat/drink/poop?

 

[krista74]

Hi again!

Yes, a broody hen will still get up to eat, drink, poop and dust bathe as she needs to. However, don't be surprised if you never see her doing it. In order to protect their eggs, their instinct tells them to do this without being seen, so she may only get up each morning at dusk, or in the evening after you have locked their coop. I had one broody whom I NEVER ONCE saw get off the nest! Her feed tray was always messed up each morning though, so I knew she had indeed been up and about at some point.

Other broody hens are not so fussy, they will pop in and out several times a day to eat, drink and socialise. You just have to trust that they know what they're doing. Just make sure she physically has the room to get up and out of the nest comfortably, and I would also move the feeder and waterer relatively close to her nest so that she doesn't have to wander too far to get to it.

A word of warning about The Broody Poop, too. Some girls will only poop once every two or three days, so don't be shocked if you don't see her 'go' for a while. I had one girl who held out for FIVE DAYS! When she does finally go though, run a mile! The stench is like nothing you have ever smelled before in your life, lol.

And it has enough force behind it to rocket her to the moon! I love Broody hens, though, lol. They are so beautiful and lovely, and it's the only time mine will let me pat them. They also love baby talk - you won't find any reference to it in the text books, but I swear mine just melt when I baby talk to them!

- Krista

 

[desertchicken92]

Hi again!

Yes, a broody hen will still get up to eat, drink, poop and dust bathe as she needs to. However, don't be surprised if you never see her doing it. In order to protect their eggs, their instinct tells them to do this without being seen, so she may only get up each morning at dusk, or in the evening after you have locked their coop. I had one broody whom I NEVER ONCE saw get off the nest! Her feed tray was always messed up each morning though, so I knew she had indeed been up and about at some point.

Other broody hens are not so fussy, they will pop in and out several times a day to eat, drink and socialise. You just have to trust that they know what they're doing. Just make sure she physically has the room to get up and out of the nest comfortably, and I would also move the feeder and waterer relatively close to her nest so that she doesn't have to wander too far to get to it.

A word of warning about The Broody Poop, too. Some girls will only poop once every two or three days, so don't be shocked if you don't see her 'go' for a while. I had one girl who held out for FIVE DAYS! When she does finally go though, run a mile! The stench is like nothing you have ever smelled before in your life, lol.

And it has enough force behind it to rocket her to the moon! I love Broody hens, though, lol. They are so beautiful and lovely, and it's the only time mine will let me pat them. They also love baby talk - you won't find any reference to it in the text books, but I swear mine just melt when I baby talk to them!

- Krista

LOL!

 

[desertchicken92]

Thanks for the info!!!

 

[krista74]

My pleasure

 

[ctchopper]

My Buff Orpington is only 7 months old and has gone broody four times now! I have to remove her from the nesting box and put her on the lawn where she sits, trance like, for a good five minutes before joining the others. It takes several days to snap her out of it and she quits laying (which is fine) but I worry about the stress it may cause her going broody so often. She's such a sweety and I'll bet would make an exceptional mama. I don't have room for more hens, though, so I can't let her hatch any chicks. I'm afraid this will be an ongoing cycle. Does anyone know if going broody every month is bad for then hen?

 

[krista74]

I doubt it is bad for her, as long as she keeps up her nutritional intake with food and water. It is a bit sad though, isn't it?

I have 5 hens, three of which went broody within weeks of each other. One died when her chick was 5 weeks old (crop problems) and the other two still have their chicks with them (five weeks old and 1 week old).

I have two remaining hens and a rooster, and of those, a fourth hen is now going broody on me. As no-one is laying at the moment (the fifth hen is a very sporadic layer) I have no eggs to give broody number 4. Therefore, I'm going to have to start evicting her from her nest until she is broken of the desire to become a Mommy. I hate to do it, but I have run out of separated pens and eggs to give her, lol.

This hen has been going broody for weeks now, isolating herself from the group, plucking out her breast feathers, and grizzling a little. It's only yesterday that she took to her nest though. I really think we are often a little late noticing a broody hen. My girls are broody for a couple of weeks before they decide to go to the nest permanently, but as chicken owners we don't tend recognise 'broody' until they are actually sitting on eggs. I personally believe that the broody process starts happening a couple of weeks before that stage, and progresses through to nesting.

Returning to your original question though, I don't think your hen will come to any harm as long as she keeps getting her required nutrients each day. If she were sitting, continually, for extended periods of time on the nest (as in many consecutive weeks) I would be concerned at that point though.

- Krista

 

[desertchicken92]

When is it best to switch her fake eggs with real ones? At night?