Broody Question seeking some advice.

[Michael Propst]

I have a 17 month old Buff Orpington that has went broody. I noticed it couple days ago. The first day I would just open the back door the nesting box and she would hop out and go back to running around the yard for a couple hours, and then ended up sleeping in the nesting box all night. The second it was the same but that evening I got her out of the nesting box and placed her on a roost bar where she stayed all night. Yesterday she almost refused to leave the nest box and I had to really pull her out. I went ahead at that point and placed a small kennel in the run elevated with a wire floor and provide food and water. That is were she stayed yesterday evening and night. Today when I let the others out to free range I left her in the kennel for a couple additional hours then let her out. So far it has been 3 hours and she has not went back to the nesting box but has been digging and staying in a single spot in her favorite flower bed. Is this behavior in the flower beds ok since she is staying away from the coop and nesting boxes? Or is this something that needs addressed by returning her to the kennel? Thanks again for any advice.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Sounds like she's only partially broody. As long as she's not in her choose nest site I might leave her out, and sees how it goes.

 

[Michael Propst]

Sounds like she's only partially broody. As long as she's not in her choose nest site I might leave her out, and sees how it goes.

Thanks for the confirmation. I just checked on her and she up and running round with the rest foraging through the yard.

 

[Michael Propst]

Ok so is it unusual for more than one hen to go broody. I am still working on breaking my Buff and went to check on the girls before bed last night and noticed one of my Rhode Island Reds was not on her roost. I went and looked and there she was in a nesting box. I pulled her out and put her on her normal roost and she stayed there all night. Today she stayed out of the nest boxes till about 10 but then settled in for over an hour. I let my buff out of broody lockup to free range a bit and now have the red in broody lockup. I only have one small kennel so managing 2 broody birds is a challenge.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Ok so is it unusual for more than one hen to go broody. I am still working on breaking my Buff and went to check on the girls before bed last night and noticed one of my Rhode Island Reds was not on her roost. I went and looked and there she was in a nesting box. I pulled her out and put her on her normal roost and she stayed there all night. Today she stayed out of the nest boxes till about 10 but then settled in for over an hour. I let my buff out of broody lockup to free range a bit and now have the red in broody lockup. I only have one small kennel so managing 2 broody birds is a challenge.

I have had a non-stop stream of broodies all summer, multiple hens in my box at a time, and never a pause in the need to put another one in there. So yes it's normal.

 

[Michael Propst]

I have had a non-stop stream of broodies all summer, multiple hens in my box at a time, and never a pause in the need to put another one in there. So yes it's normal.

Thanks. I am still a bit of a newby so still learning as my first set of girls get older.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Thanks. I am still a bit of a newby so still learning as my first set of girls get older.

I have a large flock so lots of broodies. I also like breeds that are often prone to going broody so it's my own fault.

 

[Michael Propst]

I have a large flock so lots of broodies. I also like breeds that are often prone to going broody so it's my own fault.

Thanks again for the education

 

[aart]

Ok so is it unusual for more than one hen to go broody. I am still working on breaking my Buff and went to check on the girls before bed last night and noticed one of my Rhode Island Reds was not on her roost. I went and looked and there she was in a nesting box. I pulled her out and put her on her normal roost and she stayed there all night. Today she stayed out of the nest boxes till about 10 but then settled in for over an hour. I let my buff out of broody lockup to free range a bit and now have the red in broody lockup. I only have one small kennel so managing 2 broody birds is a challenge.

An hour is not long, unless she is exhibiting other broody behaviors....the constant low level cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck, flat as a pancake on nest and on ground after removing from nest, etc.
I have several birds that I call 'loungers', they may spend spend a few hours on nest before and/or after laying. I don't call 'broody' until they have been on nest several days and nights in a row and/or are showing the other behaviors too.
..or you may need more crates, I find them quite handy to have around, tho I've never had 2 broodies at the same time. I've seen some folks use a larger crate or pen to break multiple broodies at the same time.

I have a serial broody this summer, have had to break her 4-5-6 times since I let her hatch in March. SMH. Just finished another round a couple days ago, decided this morning to leave crate set up just in case, might be a deterrent...haha!

 

[Michael Propst]

An hour is not long, unless she is exhibiting other broody behaviors....the constant low level cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck, flat as a pancake on nest and on ground after removing from nest, etc.

Thanks for the information. Yes she was showing other signs like missing chest feathers and really fluffing up, and when I first noticed her she spent all night in the nest. I believe I have her broke, she spent all day yesterday out in the yard and never went to the nest. The second one I believe is broke as well, I caught her early when I first seen her in the next box at night when I checked on them before bed. I did order a second small crate from Amazon that will be here today. I also do have 2 larger ones but the way my run is set up they would not fit well in there. And I have a small coop I had bought this past year for the new girls before they transitioned in with the big girls, I held onto that to use as a isolation coop if needed.