Help! Broody chicken worries!

[Lauren1]

Okay, so after a false alert I have found out that I just have a broody chicken. I don't mind this, lack of eggs is ok, as long as my hens are healthy I don't mind. (I have six hens, no cockerels.)

Being new to chicken keeping I'm not sure what to do next! How long will she be broody for? What do I need to do? How will this effect her in the long run? Any advise will be much appreciated. Thanks all

 

[Free Spirit]

If you don't have any males then I would try and discourage the broody behavior. No reason to have her sitting on unfertilized eggs. See if just kicking her off the nest a few times a day does the trick (caution: wear gloves. Broody hens are moody hens). Be gentle but firm. If there are any eggs collect them. Check for and collected any eggs a few times a day. At least with mine it was that simple.

But...if after several days this does not work then you may want to try other remedies...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/encouraging-or-discouraging-broodiness-in-your-hens

 

[Happy Chooks]

You would want to get her something to hatch, or day old chicks to slip under her. If you don't want any new birds, then I suggest you break her. Broody hens lose a lot of weight, and those really set on sitting can really affect their health. (they can even die)

 

[aart]

If you aren't ready to have more chicks(males chicks too) I'd break her.... the sooner the better.

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.

Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.