How long does it take a broody hen

[4boysmom]

to start laying again? She's been off the nest about a week.....She does not have the chicks, we took them in & put them in the incubator the last few days because of the roosters.

 

[MissPrissy]

You took her eggs or her chicks? How many roosters do you have? Usually a hen is very capable of caring for her chicks and the other chickens learn to stay away form her babies. They grow up as part of the flock and are accepted without problems. You could have given her a sheltered place and left the eggs with her to hatch if you thought a roo would disturb her or the eggs/chicks.

If you are forcing her to break her brood it could still take 5 - 6 weeks for her to move on and start laying again. If she is a persistant broody due to not being able to finish her hatch she will start to lay when she starts to lay. Hard to predict.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

I have a broody that just started laying again, she hatched out chicks over a month ago...

 

[4boysmom]

she started laying again - about 4 days ago. I've been really busy & not able to get on the computer.

We did take the eggs - we've got to work on our setup, there just wasn't a good place for them to hatch.