How long is it okay for a hen to be broody?

[JasonWaterfalls]

I have an Easter Egger that has been broody about 28 days. I assumed (my first time dealing with this) that after about this amount of time she would give up but that doesn’t seem to be the case. I take her out into the yard about once a day to be with the flock and she’ll graze and drink water, etc. for about an hour then go back to the nest. She’s been eating and drinking okay and I don’t think has lost too much weight.

I just found someone I know who has new fertilized eggs. Do you think it’s safe to now change my mind and let her sit on them for 21 days to hatch them? I understand I probably should have decided to do this right away. Just wondering if it’s okay to change course now.

 

[JacinLarkwell]

I really wouldn't. There's a larger chance with each day that she quits being broody, which could ruin the clutch. I'd put her in a broody breaker cage and just break the hormones at this point

 

[nuthatched]

It's been too long, being broody is hard on her. If she sits longer, her health will deteriorate or she'll die.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Just wondering if it’s okay to change course now.

I would not. Not because your hen is going to die but because she is likely to break from being broody.

Before a hen starts to lay she stores up excess fat. Most of that is in a fat pad in her pelvic area but more fat is scattered around her body. That excess fat is mostly what she lives on while broody so she can be on her nest taking care of her eggs instead of out looking for food. Once she uses up that excess fat she typically breaks from being broody. Since you are dealing with living animals you can always have an exception to anything but I don't live my life thinking exceptions are typical. Once she breaks from being broody she will need to replenish her fat supply before she starts laying again.

Each hen is different. They store up fat at different rates, store different amounts, and use it at different rate. Some broody hens come off of the nest fairly often to eat while broody, others seldom come off. I arbitrarily do not set eggs under a broody if they won't hatch by 5 weeks after she went broody. I don't have any scientific reason for selecting five weeks as a cut-off. I almost never wait until that 5 week window is there anyway but I wanted something that I consider safe. Some people put turkey eggs or other eggs that take four weeks or more of incubation before they hatch under a broody chicken. I don't read many posts on here where a broody hen stopped before those eggs hatched.

So I'd break her from being broody and start the process of her building up that fat so she will start laying again. Once she is laying there is always the chance she will go broody again.

Another option would be to get some very young chicks, hopefully 3-days-old or younger, and slip them under her at night. There is a reasonable chanced she will adopt them and raise them. That way you may be able to get sexed chicks so you have the sex you want.

 

[labelo]

I would not. Not because your hen is going to die but because she is likely to break from being broody.

Before a hen starts to lay she stores up excess fat. Most of that is in a fat pad in her pelvic area but more fat is scattered around her body. That excess fat is mostly what she lives on while broody so she can be on her nest taking care of her eggs instead of out looking for food. Once she uses up that excess fat she typically breaks from being broody. Since you are dealing with living animals you can always have an exception to anything but I don't live my life thinking exceptions are typical. Once she breaks from being broody she will need to replenish her fat supply before she starts laying again.

Each hen is different. They store up fat at different rates, store different amounts, and use it at different rate. Some broody hens come off of the nest fairly often to eat while broody, others seldom come off. I arbitrarily do not set eggs under a broody if they won't hatch by 5 weeks after she went broody. I don't have any scientific reason for selecting five weeks as a cut-off. I almost never wait until that 5 week window is there anyway but I wanted something that I consider safe. Some people put turkey eggs or other eggs that take four weeks or more of incubation before they hatch under a broody chicken. I don't read many posts on here where a broody hen stopped before those eggs hatched.

So I'd break her from being broody and start the process of her building up that fat so she will start laying again. Once she is laying there is always the chance she will go broody again.

Another option would be to get some very young chicks, hopefully 3-days-old or younger, and slip them under her at night. There is a reasonable chanced she will adopt them and raise them. That way you may be able to get sexed chicks so you have the sex you want.

This, I'd either try to give her a couple of young chicks (which may or may not be successful, especially if you've been taking her eggs and she hasn't been sitting on anything) or try to break her of being broody.

 

[HeidiGretchen]

I arbitrarily do not set eggs under a broody if they won't hatch by 5 weeks after she went broody. I don't have any scientific reason for selecting five weeks as a cut-off. I almost never wait until that 5 week window is there anyway but I wanted something that I consider safe.

@Ridgerunner, I have a broody hen whose first eggs SHOULD hatch on 7/15ish. She started with 6 eggs, had 4 eaten, 1 did not develop past week 1, so she has 1 egg left. Our "boss" hen kept taking over her nest for hours at a time, so I placed eggs for boss hen in a separate box. This morning, I found broody had left her egg and was sitting on the other nest. Her own egg was cool. No idea if it's still viable, but I'll check in a few days. IF her egg hatches, I know she'll give up on the new eggs, so big risk. But if her egg does not hatch, and she were to remain on the new eggs for 21ish days, that would put her sitting broody for 5 weeks.

New eggs are not developing yet - just placed them last night. I suppose I could swap out fresh eggs every day until I see if the lone original egg hatches (to keep broody sitting) and then if it doesn't, break her broodiness with no loss of developing eggs.

*I did try to move the broody hen early on because of course she was sitting in the current favorite nesting box and the eggs were getting eaten, but she freaked out, so I moved her back.

Thoughts?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Go to Tractor Supply and get 6 chicks to put under her when the other egg hatches or is supposed to, on the 15th.

What is eating the eggs, a snake or something else? Whatever it is might eat chicks too.

 

[JasonWaterfalls]

Not that this answers your question exactly but you mention the concern of your hen sitting for 5 weeks potentially.

For anyone who contributed, I decided to go for it and if she ended up breaking being broody on her own then so be it. And if I thought she seemed unhealthy I would stop the experiment. She ended up hatching 7 out of 10 eggs and is doing awesome as a mom. Started being broody May 10th and the chicks hatched July 2nd, exactly 21 days after I gave them to her and 7 1/2 weeks of sitting on the nest.

I did check in on her quite a bit, hand feeding her scratch grains and watermelon when it was really hot. Early on I'd take her off the nest about once a day to free range and make her drink water. She’d go back on her own after 20 minutes or so.

 

[HeidiGretchen]

Go to Tractor Supply and get 6 chicks to put under her when the other egg hatches or is supposed to, on the 15th.

What is eating the eggs, a snake or something else? Whatever it is might eat chicks too.

It was another hen eating the eggs. I've never had a hen eat eggs while they were being sat on before, but I do have at least 1 hen who eats eggs periodically.

I thought about getting chicks and sneaking them under, and I still may. Naturally, I had gone to TSC and bought 6 chicks and 4 ducklings and the VERY NEXT DAY my hen went broody. My only concern is that I have 2 brooders and both are in use. The chicks I have are fiesty and I would not want to put new babies in with them if momma rejects them. But neither the chicks nor ducklings will be ready to go out into the coop in time to open a brooder.

 

[HeidiGretchen]

Not that this answers your question exactly but you mention the concern of your hen sitting for 5 weeks potentially.

For anyone who contributed, I decided to go for it and if she ended up breaking being broody on her own then so be it. And if I thought she seemed unhealthy I would stop the experiment. She ended up hatching 7 out of 10 eggs and is doing awesome as a mom. Started being broody May 10th and the chicks hatched July 2nd, exactly 21 days after I gave them to her and 7 1/2 weeks of sitting on the nest.

I did check in on her quite a bit, hand feeding her scratch grains and watermelon when it was really hot. Early on I'd take her off the nest about once a day to free range and make her drink water. She’d go back on her own after 20 minutes or so.

That is encouraging. At least it leaves that as an option for me. I really hate to break a broody hen if I don't have to, and I'm home enough to be able to check on her several times a day and make sure she's eating and drinking and taking breaks. (I'm maybe a little too obsessed, lol,) I'm so glad your hen did well and you got lots of new babies! Congratulations!