Broody Questions???

[chickens112]

I have a pullet that has been laying for 3 weeks and now i think she is going broody. she had been laying almost everyday only missed a few days but now she is sitting in her nest box with no eggs. so while she is broody will she keep laying eggs or not? Thanks

 

[Featherland]

If they are broody they stop laying eggs.

 

[BowChickaBowMow]

I have a broody BO, and the EE's and silkies keep climbing on top of her and laying in the nest anyways (she's staying in the popular nest) so now she has 5 eggs under her, last I checked. I pull the others off her back when I see them , but can't be out there 24/7... just think it's funny that they lay right on top of her, and she rolls those eggs right under her!

Maybe you could put other eggs under her?

 

[Lower55]

Okay, I just started reading the posts and I would like to know what is the meaning of "broody". Needless to say, I'm new at this and don't have a clue.

 

[SGM]

A broody hen is a hen who wants to sit and hatch eggs. They only leave the nest once a day to eat and eliminate waste.

 

[bills]

I had a hen that started going broody, and to break her quickly, I simply took her off the nest, and put her outside with the others. (You may want to wear heavy gloves as they tend to hate being removed, and will peck you.) I would put a few treats down for them at the same time, so she had incentive to stay out with the others.

I did this every time I saw her in the nest. It only took a couple of days to break the habit. It still took a few days before she began to lay again.

Lower55- If you want to raise chicks, (and you have a rooster), a broody hen can be a good addition.

If you just have hens, and want fresh eggs everyday, then a broody hen is not a good thing. You are paying to feed a non-productive hen. Most will try and break the hen of this habit. Some will put the broody hen in a cage with a wire bottom, (uncomfortable to sit), others put a bag of ice in the nest under the hen, again uncomfortable to sit.