Friendly hen now moody and mean

[Texas Chicken Mom]

Well since I work away from the house, it is impossible for me to collect eggs more than once a day in the evening when I return home. So it sounds like I am going to deal with broody hen #2. I don’t have a rooster in with the hens. I was given six fertilized eggs from a co-worker who has a large flock. Four of the six eggs hatched and as near as I can tell, the chicks are three cockrells and one pullet. I was thinking if Inlet her sit on ceramic or plastic eggs for 21 days then replace those eggs with live chicks from tractor supply, will she accept them? That way I can at least get more pullets (hopefully).

 

[Sonya9]

Broodiness is VERY contagious, especially if your coop and run are secure.

One hen can raise one chick, and the next wants to raise seven!! They can go in succession, “tapping each other out” like casino dealers in a 24/7 environment.

Once one broody has hatched her chicks, a new one starts hiding her clutch and will then set on them.

Raising babies is a huge thing in chicken society!!

How to control this if you don’t want baby chicks at this time?

1. Collect the eggs almost as soon as they’re laid, like every 2 or 3 hours.

2. If the broody hen is not sitting on any eggs (setting on straw), put her in a broody breaker which is a raised wire cage with adequate food and water but nothing soft for her to sit on.

So true! I hadn't had a broody in 2 years and gave up on my three-year-old bantam hen. Went out and bought a broody with 3 chicks this spring and within a week my bantam went broody too.

It is very contagious, but it also seems chicks can cause some insecurity in the pecking order and some birds do become a bit feistier.

 

[Ruthster55]

Well since I work away from the house, it is impossible for me to collect eggs more than once a day in the evening when I return home. So it sounds like I am going to deal with broody hen #2. I don’t have a rooster in with the hens. I was given six fertilized eggs from a co-worker who has a large flock. Four of the six eggs hatched and as near as I can tell, the chicks are three cockrells and one pullet. I was thinking if Inlet her sit on ceramic or plastic eggs for 21 days then replace those eggs with live chicks from tractor supply, will she accept them? That way I can at least get more pullets (hopefully).

Just make sure that Tractor Supply will have those chicks for you to buy in 18-20 days....a bit late in the season. You might want to reserve 6-10 chicks for the appropriate date which would be in the first week in September.

If you can reserve some chicks, you can put the chicks under the broody hen at night.

 

[Texas Chicken Mom]

Ok thank you for the advice. I will call Tractor Supply tomorrow about reserving the chicks. If none are likely to be available then I will go another route.

 

[3KillerBs]

Handle broody hens a bit carefully. The hormonal changes that happen when she goes broody make her possibly willing to fight or at least peck hard. Garden gloves and glasses if you need to handle her?

I’ve been pecked (no injury) by a broody hen, and I have also seen the same hen fight (very briefly like 3 seconds). Broody hens are very hormonal!!

Indeed.

My friendliest in-town hen, Noodle, was VICIOUS as a broody. Being accustomed to petting and handling, she had no fear of me and once managed to bite me hard enough to leave quite a bruise.

My technique, with a top-opening nest box, was to put my hand down flat -- offering no fingers to grab -- to pin her head into a corner while I rumaged around under her for eggs.

 

[Texas Chicken Mom]

I just spoke with my local Tractor Supply. They will be receiving new chicks on a weekly basis until after Labor Day. Apparently with the pandemic there has been such a rush to purchase chicks, feed and other supplies that they are having difficulty keeping everything n stock. I will be picking up four new chicks on or about September 6th. Going to try giving her the fake eggs this evening when I get home. She came off the nest this morning and fed with the rest of my flock and was quite agitated when I removed two eggs from the nesting box. She had them almost buried in the pine shavings! They are not fertile because I don’t have a full grown rooster in with them. Although the first hatch last month looks like I will have three along with the one black pullet. I will try marking the ceramic eggs before I present them to hear as was suggested earlier. I will definitely suit up as well. Thanks to all for your support and I will keep you informed on how Ms. Chucka Norris is doing!

 

[aart]

When she is in the Nest, put an Egg or fake Egg right in front of her and watch. BROODYS will wait and then use their Beak to roll it underneath them, which is entertaining to watch.

Even my non-broody hens will do that.

Here's my go-to signs of a broody:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

You don't have to give her fertile eggs or chicks, you can break her.
Not sure I'd want two batches of broody chicks in the flock.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

They make Roll Away nests, which have the Egg roll away from the Bird after it is layd.

 

[Texas Chicken Mom]

They make Roll Away nests, which have the Egg roll away from the Bird after it is layd.

Well, it seems that my second hen has broken her broody behavior on her own. I made sure I removed the non fertile eggs every evening and it seems she has lost interest in hatching them. She no longer hangs out in the nesting box but now runs around with her other two sister hens. Mama hen still is tending to her brood but I noticed yesterday that while she keeps a watchful eye on them, she too is spending more time with the other hens so I guess she is slowly weaning the chicks to be self sufficient. The chicks will be seven weeks old tomorrow. Thanks again to all for your advice and comments. They are all very much appreciated.

 

[ChemicalchiCkns]

A good BROODY raising peepaz is all ways worth watching.