how long does a hen stay broody?

[maggiegigs]

My hen has been broody for close to 6 weeks. Although I take her out of the box several times a day and free range her away from the coop and make her eat /drink it is very little. She paces back and forth to go back into the coop. Tonight she just wanted back in. No eating and just a few sips. Today I left her in the gentle rain to cool her down for two hours but she just paced. I have covered the egg boxes and she is on the roost but clucking ever so softly. Any suggestions. I feel she may not make it unless this stops ASAP.

 

[La Mike]

Uhmmm kinda depends on the hen I have 1 thats hatched 3 clutches lol so thats at least 2 months. They arent very likely to die from broody. Has she hatched anything. Try setting a golf ball under her for a week or so and swapping it out with a newly hatched chick. I have found that to break them sometimes.

 

[maggiegigs]

Ok, that is what I think I have to resort to. She is a Blue orpington, no rooster and VERY determined to be a mother. I was just researching availability of overnighting two chicks within the next two days. problem is I just got two BO pullets with her in the coop. But I will set Mom and chicks in a box outside of coop but within a seperate part of the run.
QUESTION: Will this stop the broodiness? Thanks for your help. I am at wits end.

 

[La Mike]

I have had it work before but theres no garantee it will. I would just try and find something local as shipping a couple could be expensive.

 

[ronikins]

I'm dealing with 2 hens that are broody. I'm trying to break them. Kicking them off the nest several times a day. Making sure I take their eggs away and no golfballs. Then, tonight, there's ANOTHER broody!

Ughhhh. My husband was out there with me. He says, "Why don't we just let her hatch some?" So now she has 6 eggs under her. I have a total of 4 broodies now. One is due to hatch 2 eggs next week, the 2 I'm trying to break and now this new one. We have 8 little ones running around too. I am too stressed right now....

 

[hcppam]

good advice.

 

[4hens4us]

We have a BO who went broody back in December. Same thing - we'd physically remove her from the nesting box & lock her out. The second she could get back into the nesting box she would. It lasted about 6 weeks and then finally she just snapped out of it. She started laying eggs & all was good. About 4 weeks ago she started again with the broodiness though. We are just doing the same thing we did before & hoping she'll get over it soon. I feel bad for her - such a strong instinct! One of our other hens will lay an egg in the nesting box with the broody one, leaving her the egg to sit on. I just try to remove it as soon as possible, but I know if she could cry when I do this she would.
Good luck! I'm sure she'll be over it soon.

 

[secuono]

If you have newly hatched chicks, let her sit on eggs for a few days, then switch with chicks. Otherwise, I would let her sit and hatch to get it out of her system if you haven't been able to break her for so long. It's stressing her, so why not just let her have 2-3 eggs to hatch? Though, if you don't have a roo, idk what to do. Mine is on her second broody month, she had eggs starting to hatch, but she went nuts and tried to eat one. Took them away and she searched and called for a week. Then realized there was a clutch of eggs w/no one on them and she's back to her favorite job.

 

[poseygrace]

Ive heard it works to put them in a wire cage up off the ground with food and water (and shade in this heat!) for a few days. Apparently being up off the ground allows the temperature of their undersides to cool, which will break the broodiness. Good luck.

 

[juliawitt]

I have a buff orp that has been broody for 3 weeks!!! We don't have any roosters, so no use trying to put eggs under her. We are hoping that one of the babies we have in the brooder might be a rooster.......If only she will go broody in a year when we have a grown rooster.....for now, it is just a plain problem!!! We are kicking her out of the nest boxes, physically taking her to the food and water......what a pain.