Hen is perpetually broody

[cutechick53]

If you do not want her to be broody try putting their nets boxes on sturdy chicken wire and have them lay on the wire. The updraft of air causes them to not go broody.

 

[TwoCrows]

If you do not want her to be broody try putting their nets boxes on sturdy chicken wire and have them lay on the wire. The updraft of air causes them to not go broody.

This may work on a mild case of broodiness, however becoming broody comes from within the hen. Not from being cool in the nest box. If she goes broody and the nest box does not suit her fancy, she will take her broody body elsewhere and find a place to sit down and be a broody momma. She will brood her feet in the corner of the coop if that is the only place to set and the only thing to set on.

 

[aDillyDally]

I have a silver laced Wyandotte who is approximately 7 months old. She has been broody every since the flock started laying eggs back in April. She allows the other hens to lay their eggs then she hops on and sits. I realize hens can go broody but this one seems to have been born broody and is not interested in doing anything except sit on eggs. Has anyone else ever had a hen who acted like this?

I too had a perpetually broody hen. I had to pull her out and put her in the old rabbit hutch for 3-7 days with nothing but food and water... We were planning on letting her hatch eggs but we no longer have her

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Some of us don't have roos to fertilize the eggs or an easy source for hatching eggs, or even cheap enough feed to feed a rooster that isn't a fast grower. Spending $18 on a bag of feed to bring up a couple of scrawny 4lb live weight roos is a lot of money for not much meat! If they even reach that size before they start crowing which most won't... So for those of us with this problem, broody hens are bad business.

My australorps ALL went broody this year, and the ALL took a turn in the broody buster. (2'X3' dog crate, with plastic deer netting zip-tied on the bottom to give a good mesh floor, a tarp in case of rain, all up on cinder blocks.) Every time I watered my garden I'd also water the chook in the buster.

They all broke after about a week, maybe 10 days. It took a while. The brooding seemed to go on forever! Not good for my egg production.

 

[buttercup95]

Some of us don't have roos to fertilize the eggs or an easy source for hatching eggs, or even cheap enough feed to feed a rooster that isn't a fast grower. Spending $18 on a bag of feed to bring up a couple of scrawny 4lb live weight roos is a lot of money for not much meat! If they even reach that size before they start crowing which most won't... So for those of us with this problem, broody hens are bad business.

My australorps ALL went broody this year, and the ALL took a turn in the broody buster. (2'X3' dog crate, with plastic deer netting zip-tied on the bottom to give a good mesh floor, a tarp in case of rain, all up on cinder blocks.) Every time I watered my garden I'd also water the chook in the buster.

They all broke after about a week, maybe 10 days. It took a while. The brooding seemed to go on forever! Not good for my egg production.

I agree if you can't raise a roo to full size then don't even take the risk.

 

[Tacampbell1973]

I have the exact same situation with my banty hen. I was told by a "non chickener" that she is neurotic...Not true. Just a good mama. I take her down off her nest for mealtimes as I want her to get a part of the meals that I bring out twice a day warm. Left to her own devices she will get down and eat,poop and drink, but like I said, I bring them special meals twice a day so I want her to have some. Talk about taking her job seriously...

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Right? What's the point in me putting hatching eggs under her to "expand my flock" when half of them won't reach 12 weeks without crowing like monsters and needing to be butchered for almost no meat or sent away for almost no cost? Because who wants a half-dozen non-meat breed, non-show, not fertile-yet, roos? And hatching eggs for Cornish X's and other meat hybrids are MORE expensive than day-old sexed male chicks! Not worth it.

 

[buttercup95]

Right? What's the point in me putting hatching eggs under her to "expand my flock" when half of them won't reach 12 weeks without crowing like monsters and needing to be butchered for almost no meat or sent away for almost no cost? Because who wants a half-dozen non-meat breed, non-show, not fertile-yet, roos? And hatching eggs for Cornish X's and other meat hybrids are MORE expensive than day-old sexed male chicks! Not worth it.

Yeah my friend had a hen who kept getting broody and she just let her go along and ended up giving me all the roos. I was mad to say the least. I ended up with like 6 cockerels that weren't even close to a breed I consider desirable and not even very much meat on their bones. I ended up taking the hen to my house for a week and then returning her. the stress from the travel shook her out of it.

 

[Tinworm]

If you are worried about roosters, you could always try getting a couple of pullets. I have used goslings to break my goose from brood. Might not work, but atleast you would end up with hens. Just a thought....

 

[chickengeorgeto]

I agree. Some hens could hatch a coconut, but are darn fools once the chicks hatch. Only a good mother hen can reliably hatch a large clutch of eggs and also bring up the peeps to maturity