How long will a hen stay broody?

[pacetruckguy]

I have a hen that's been staying in the nest box for three weeks now. I keep taking her out so she can eat and drink, but she goes right back in to the nest box. She doesn't have any eggs. She just won't come out of the box. I don't have a rooster, so no fertile eggs. Do I have to go out and get a rabbit hutch, or will she just get over it, and if so When? I took her off the nest today and closed them all out of the run. The problem with that is the other hens won't have anywhere to lay their eggs. I figure I'll give her an hour or so and open the run again. I don't know somebody help. Please.

 

[critterlover]

I am having a similar issue with one of my Buff's. It has only been four days, but she comes out into the run for about 10 minutes a day and that's it. At first I thought she may be sick, but she looks fine. I don't have a rooster either, so questioned whether a hen can be broody.

How long do you allow this to happen? I take all the eggs every day. Is it just that time of year?

 

[pacetruckguy]

Quote:
From what I have found out so far, it has nothing to do with having a rooster. It's their hormones. I don't think mine would come off the nest if I didn't take her off. If it's only been four days for your hen you might consider finding some fertile eggs for her to sit on. I figure after 3weeks or more, if I were to get fertile eggs now she would break her spell, and I would have a batch of rotten eggs. I just want to know how long I'm going to have to deal with this.

 

[flockof4]

My Buff Orp just started going broody, too. I don't have a rooster either and so the eggs are not fertile. She goes outside in the morning for a few hours and eats and hangs out with the others. But around noon she goes into her nesting box and hangs out there for the rest of the day. She is still laying an egg a day, but then hangs out on it for the rest of the day. Last night she was still in the nesting box when I went out to close them in for the night. This has been going on for about a week.

 

[dahester]

I have been having the same problem. My hen has been trying to set for two weeks now. We gather the eggs everyday, but nothing I do stops her. If I put her in a cage by herself would that help? Will she just stop this stage she is in?

 

[tammyd57]

My broody BO stayed on the nest for days after all her eggs hatched. I put the chicks in my brooder trying to get her to come off the nest to eat and drink. (She hadn't been off at all to eat or drink) Finally on day 25 I put her out of the nest and put a 1/2 gallon juice jug with frozen water in it in her nest for the day. I took the jug out at dusk so she could go back in to sleep. It took 2 days of this to get her to come out on her own in the morning.