Do hens get broody without a rooster?

[WallyG74]

My hen wouldn’t leave the nest this evening. I had to get eggs from underneath her. All the others were on the roost. She didn’t even come out for mealworms! All my girls lay early in the day. Is she getting broody even though there’s no chance a chick will hatch?

 

[hysop]

Yes, it doesn’t matter if you have a rooster or not. Some hens will go broody.

 

[Chicken Cryptid]

Yes! Chickens will go broody without a rooster. She will stop laying while she is broody. If you’re fine with that, just keep collecting eggs and she’ll come out of it on her own eventually. You can try to discourage it by blocking her off from nesting areas or separating her from the rest of the flock.

 

[WallyG74]

I had a fake egg in each nest so they would spread out and not lay on top of each other. I wonder if that made her stay, seeing those eggs still in the nest every day? I took them out but I hated to take her eggs but they ain’t gonna hatch sister!

 

[FluffyBottomBantams]

Some broody hens can be quite determined.
I had a hen this winter who refused to be broken so she sat the whole 21 days and even now still refuses to be part of the flock

 

[WallyG74]

Yes! Chickens will go broody without a rooster. She will stop laying while she is broody. If you’re fine with that, just keep collecting eggs and she’ll come out of it on her own eventually. You can try to discourage it by blocking her off from nesting areas or separating her from the rest of the flock.

I don’t think it requires any drastic measures. I’ll just keep collecting eggs. She let me pet her and get the eggs so maybe she’ll come out of it pretty quick. Thanks for the quick advice.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Best to break her if you do not intend to let her hatch, as broodies can lose body condition while setting and are more prone to parasites, plus it can be upsetting to the rest of the flock.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Best to break her if you do not intend to let her hatch, as broodies can lose body condition while setting and are more prone to parasites, plus it can be upsetting to the rest of the flock.

Unless your hen is a Silkie. They are ALWAYS broody- lol!

 

[WallyG74]

Unless your hen is a Silkie. They are ALWAYS broody- lol!

Black Australorp.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Black Australorp.

Ooh pretty! I have 2 Silkies. I'm not exaggerating when I say they have both been broody for 4 of the 5 months of 2020 so far. Luckily, they do a pretty good job of getting off the nest and eating, drinking, dust bathing. I trimmed their nails about 3 times now, but they aren't wasting away.

When my B Orp went broody, she lost a lot of weight and plucked her underside bald. I broke her in a crate with no floor. If I'd let her carry on, I wonder if she'd have made it.