How to Break a Broody Hen

[Hickory Creek]

Find out if anyone local wants some eggs hatched.

 

[MrsCSki]

She's definitely broody - growls, fluffs, the whole 9 - is the sweetest most non-aggressive hen I have (out of 3), so has never so much as postured toward the other two or stood up for herself in any way. And I mean I'm trying the method of physically removing her from the nesting box and putting her in the yard where the other two are free ranging and giving her corn. I'm definitely going to have to try caging her though since now the other two aren't laying while she's in the nesting box (even though I have two).

 

[bruceha2000]

Nope, with that behavior, putting her out with the flock isn't going to break her, time for the buster. She may not thank you for it but YOU know you are doing her a favor.

Of course the first time she won't know what is happening. My "repeat offenders" get really upset when they see I'm stuffing them in the buster. I have 3 that are now 5 years old that have gone broody at least twice a year since they were a year old. One of them has raised 2 batches of chicks from Meyer Hatchery though so in the right circumstances it isn't all bad

 

[ashleykorr]

Yeah - so I never locked her out of the coop, as the other ladies need the nesting boxes, just as you say. She is such a sweet girl - never got nasty at all. But she would sit on nest all day and night, always going back to it.

I took the advice of the good people here and found a cage with a wire bottom, elevated from the ground, but still in the run with the other birds. At night I covered her with a towel so it was safer and darker for her. It only took 2 days. At the end of her second day I was topping up her water before tucking her in for the night, and she made a great escape! She flew right up to the coop, but settled on a roost. I watched her closely, and went back out as it got darker --- she stayed up on the roost all night. The next morning she got up on her own, and she has been back to her normal patterns for 2 days now. No eggs yet, but I am sure those will come along soon enough.

Thanks to everyone for your great advice! I think that I fall into the category of "every week there seems to be something new..." Is this just inexperience or chicken keeping???? They are endless entertainment for me. Now I have an issue about a very dirty bum on a different girl. I will post in a different thread about that.

 

[ashleykorr]

You can usually tell when they are broken by how they "talk" to you. If they still have that "broody hen cluck" don't bother letting them out. If they are "talking" normally, no reason to keep them in the buster.

Yes! I posted a more detailed update below, but I noticed that her "tone" changed a day and half in - it was that night that she chose to back to her roost. Thank you!

 

[bruceha2000]

I think that I fall into the category of "every week there seems to be something new..." Is this just inexperience or chicken keeping???? They are endless entertainment for me.

Yes and no! Clearly we learn a LOT from our birds as we go. They will keep you on your toes. Last year I had one decide she wanted to lay out rather than in the nest boxes. If she were a poor layer I wouldn't really have noticed but she would sometimes lay 15-20 days in a row before taking a day off so it was REALLY obvious. I finally gave up raiding and destroying her nests in the weeds on nest #5. I left a plastic egg in it and collected the eggs as she laid them. Thankfully she is using a nest in the barn SO FAR this year.

I ended up with an accidental cockerel in my order from Meyer in April. Now I get to learn "on the job" about roosters!

 

[MBFarm]

Hey everyone. I'm new here. This is my first season with chickens and I have a question about broody hens. I have 9 hens of mixed breeds in my flock. No roosters. My Buff Orp, and both Silver Laced and Gold Laced Wyandottes have all gone broody this year. I successfully broke them by following the broody box procedure of placing them in a wire dog crate. The first round, all three gave up within a couple days. The Silver Laced went broody again earlier this week and was again broken quickly using broody box. My Gold Laced however has now gone broody again and even though I caught it straight away, this will be her fourth night in the broody box. I thought she was over it this morning, as she didn't puff her feathers and growl at me like she had the other three mornings, so I let her out with the flock. She had a dust bath, a bite to eat, a drink... and then high-tailed it to the nest box. Back in the slammer she went! My question is, is it unusual for a hen to be so persistent and should I do anything differently? She was eating and seemed a little less broody this evening. I hope to be able to set her free from her sentence tomorrow!

 

[bruceha2000]

First !!!!

You are doing nothing wrong, each is an individual. My Black Australorp Zorra will get sort of "Mrs. Hyde" a few days before she actually goes broody and will have spells of it when she breaks. But if she goes back to the nest box, quick cancellation of parole for her.

Is it warmer now than the other times?? It takes longer if the weather is not cool.

I think I'm on track for another broody. One of my 5 Y/O Faverolles (they go broody at least twice a year) hasn't laid since she was broody earlier this year. Today is the 3rd day in a row that she laid. I figure 2 to 5 more and she will park her fluffy butt in a nest box

 

[MBFarm]

First !!!!

Is it warmer now than the other times?? It takes longer if the weather is not cool.

Yes. I'm in NH and we've had several hot and humid days. All other broody spells happened during the extreme weather too. The first hot spell, the whole flock went nuts it seemed. That's when the 3 hens went broody all one right after the other. The rest of them were flying at my head, aiming for my shoulders, back, trying to get up high in our hay loft. It was very strange and I thought I was loosing my mind! As soon as it cooled off, they went back to normal thank goodness. And speaking of normal, we had a front move through last night cooling things off and my GLW is out of the slammer and with her flock. Acting like her sweet self. Hooray!

 

[bruceha2000]