How Can I Get A Hen UN Broody?

[CrazyChickLady7]

Yes. This makes me so mad. I'm sorry if I'm offending you, but that is animal cruelty. And honestly if you are going to treat and animal like that then you really shouldn't have it.

 

[Garjzla]

Yes. This makes me so mad. I'm sorry if I'm offending you, but that is animal cruelty. And honestly if you are going to treat and animal like that then you really shouldn't have it.

I have to say, I agree, or you should at least not try to stop the animal from doing natural things in such a bad way.

 

[chicknmania]

OK, I agree too, but I think point taken, oK? Jeesh, I should be a mod, lol. I would never withhold food or water from a broody or do those other things, and I'm not defending anyone, but I think someone should point out that when a hen goes broody, she often goes for days without food or water, and nature takes care of her ok. There are occasionally worries about the hen getting sick or lice-ridden or losing too much weight from being broody so long, or sometimes they're in a false brood, and that's why this thread is highlighted, probably.

I don't understand why people have so much problems with broodies, because as I said earlier, what we do is let the hen go a week past the due date, and sometimes even ten days. If she's still broody and of course by that time we're sure the eggs won't hatch, then we put her in a pen with food and water. and then we move her nest out of the barn, out of sight, out of mind, and of course, destroy the eggs. I try to make sure the broody in captivity has treats occasionally as well as food and water, and sometimes even an apple on a string or something else to entertain her. It has never failed that within two or three days her feathers lie down and she quits broody clucking, and always by day four she's outta there, but if she was still broody we'd just keep her confined longer. The reason we want to break the broody spell is for the reasons already mentioned, we care about the health of the hen. The only problem we still haven't solved is how to break the broody spell on a peahen.

 

[Mellow1]

Very strange thread indeed. Never withhold food or water from any hen/creature in your care for any reason. Some of these 'broody solutions' sound like old wives tales. Give her a fertile egg and let nature take its course.

 

[Sabrit]

Let her set for 2 weeks, then slip some baby chicks an eggshells in under her during the night.... problem solved. She is happy with her babies and the babies get a mama! She raises and protects them. Win win

 

[yellowchicks]

I thought my one-year-old Leghorn was sick, turned out she's gone broody this week! (How?) Leghorn is supposedly the non-broody breed!

I took her out of the nest many times during the day, tried to keep her preoccupied in the run with treats (no longer interested in treats), locked her out of the coop (she flew up to the roof trying to get back in), put ice packs under the nest box and remove the padding (probably felt nice and cool for the summer anyway). Every time I turned around, she finds ways to sit in the nest again. I moved her back onto the roosting bar at night, 3 nights in a row. In the morning, she is right back into the nest box doing the useless deed with or without eggs (and there is no roo to fertilize the eggs).

Finally, I gave up, she won. I served her breakfast in bed this morning. Probably have to give her the VIP treatments until she gives up.

 

[shortgrass]

Going through this right now. She is really stubbornso I just take her food an water she is sitting on 4 eggs so I'm just gonna let her have at it!! I seen a video on YouTube that the guy went and got baby chicks and put them under her making her beleive they hatched and she was all done and is now a mother. Lol

THAT would be the NICEST and probably FASTEST way IMHO... Lol if you have a TSC or Hatchery close by... Let the poor girl have one chick! Lol

I also thought the mention of putting the tin over the front if the boxes for a day was good... Collect eggs off the floor for a day or so? It's better than torture IMO...

I think this is one of the most inhumane things I've read here on BYC and I'm sorry I did read it. This is no way to treat any animal IMO. The animals we bring into our care should be respected, not subjected to cruelty. No food, no water, dunking her, swinging her cage = cruelty and zero respect for a helpless animal.

I also have to wonder why the BYC team felt this was an appropriate post to have in the home page banner when there are so many helpful/informative posts and stunning photos and well-crafted coops they could have put on the banner. Why use this one?

X2 ... I wouldn't have read it either.... But I have learned some very cruel tricks to torture my chooks with if I ever decide that THEIR hormones are causing problems for ME. I understand loss of production etc, I have a ranch with cattle etc.... But I still won't torture my cattle or withhold food or water.... Wow.

I'd be inclined to just get one chick or let her set one egg, but disrupting hormones and torturing my hens is not what I will be doing.. So in a way, I guess I HAVE learned from this thread....what NOT to do to broody hens

 

[Garjzla]

THAT would be the NICEST and probably FASTEST way IMHO... Lol if you have a TSC or Hatchery close by... Let the poor girl have one chick! Lol

I also thought the mention of putting the tin over the front if the boxes for a day was good... Collect eggs off the floor for a day or so? It's better than torture IMO...
X2 ... I wouldn't have read it either.... But I have learned some very cruel tricks to torture my chooks with if I ever decide that THEIR hormones are causing problems for ME. I understand loss of production etc, I have a ranch with cattle etc.... But I still won't torture my cattle or withhold food or water.... Wow.

I'd be inclined to just get one chick or let her set one egg, but disrupting hormones and torturing my hens is not what I will be doing.. So in a way, I guess I HAVE learned from this thread....what NOT to do to broody hens

Someone suggested taking away the chicks once they hatch, that's really cruel, too. Just let nature take its course. Plus, give a few chicks a home, isn't it a win for everyone? You see a happy mother chicken with her chicks, her chicks get a mom, and she gets her beloved babies.

 

[Bine]

I am quite happy about this post b/c I hope that it exposed the "tricks" for what they are: cruel. Most are based on the hope that if you make the hen misery the survival instinct will overwright the reproduction instinct somehow.
And I think they are from a time where we didn't know about hormones.
To work with nature and respect the animals is always much easier way to achieve what you want. Think about the stupid violent things people did to dogs and horses to train them in the past.
Today we use clicker, treats and praise and have a trained dog or horse in half the time and with out all the yelling and beating.

 

[Garjzla]

Plus, it's better if she starves herself and isn't forced to live without food or water in the summer for days.