How to Break a Broody Hen

[gigelus2k13]

Another question though. I have been taking away the eggs she has persuaded her mates to lay in 'her' nest box every day, but they are very warm by mid-afternoon. Are they all right to store and eat in the normal way?
eulh

My personal experience is that the eggs are edible; at least they did not cause any ill effect on anyone in my family and we're eating lots of eggs.

Regarding the broodiness, it really looks like the BO's are a very broody-prone breed. Steer away if you don't care about hatching your own chicks!

One of my BO's had a short egg-laying episode (3 weeks) between two bouts of broodiness. I finally caved in and bought a carton of fertile eggs and slid 5 of them under her. She shuddered with pleasure, pulled the eggs under her and cackled happily for some time.

I wonder if the trick with playing back day-old chicken chirps would work, my hen is so determined to be a mother!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

When you let them out of the Broody Buster, stay and watch their behavior for the next 5-10 minutes. If they walk around puffed out and saying bluck-bluck-bluck! and head back to the nesting boxes, they're still in their broody mood. If they just hang out with the flock (expect a bit of hazing from the others) and go back to their regularly scheduled programs, then their attitude has been successfully adjusted.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

You'll probably need to keep her in her broody buster for 3-4 days. That's how long mine takes.

I just put my BO back in it this afternoon. Her third time going broody in 9 weeks. UGH!!! If she goes broody again in the next month, I'm going to just give up and let her raise some young and give them away.

But you'll know when she's over it. She won't return to the nest. She'll roost at night. And after a few more days, she'll start to lay again.

 

[DOnSoCalOC]

Okay, so my PR has been in the broody cage for a week now. We let her out today and she ran about, dusted, etc. for about 10-15min...then headed straight to the box. She is still making "dinosaur" screeches when we approach her. This is her SECOND session this year, last one lasted 5 weeks!

We let her out twice a day to dust and exercise, but she is still in the mood. She eats and drinks what we have in the broody cage.

Any suggestions as to how much longer we are going to ha ve to keep her in the broody cage???

 

[MischiefMakers]

I've had some hens that have only gone broody once or maybe twice in their lives.  And others that go broody with the phases of the moon.  I finally found a great wire parrot cage someone was discarding, about 2' square on a heavy wire stand about 3' high.  That's my Broody Buster, and it sits in a corner of the pen under a cover, ready to receive company.  I have lots of bantam hens so it can do a brisk business.

ah-hah!! My two broody hensbare bantams too!! Interesting...We are enjoying our first broody birds and possible hatchbof mixed up hicks WE geew but I think as space is limited I will try the Broody Buster idea too before long!

 

[philipchickymad]

ive soved the problem by giving my hen to a friend who is hatching eggs with her

 

[Cebe51]

Thank you so much for the tip. I will try to put my hen (mottled Java) on a wire cage. She only goes out of the nest when I take her every morning and then she goes right back in and there she stays all day and night. I only have 3 hens and not many eggs lately. Thanks again.

 

[twinzmom]

I had to do this twice to my BO, she was in chicken jail for 5 days then came out and behaved herself for 1 day and then began sitting again. So back in she went for 3 days, I let her out Wednesday and she's been good since then. The tetra only took 3 days and was broke on the first try. The cage definitely works!

 

[Cebe51]

Wow! I tried today, but my other two hens were really concerned about her. They stuck around the cage all day and when it was dusk, the two stood right next to each other in front of the cage as would two soldiers guarding their queen. So funny! Well, the cage was too heavy (it was my Chesapeake bay retriever's) to move inside the shed, so she went right back to where she started. Tomorrow she will go back into the cage and I will have my son move it to the shed at night. I will keep trying.

 

[DOnSoCalOC]

STILL broody!!! It has now been 3 weeks. We started to just let her out of the broody cage after everyone else is done laying eggs, close the coop up and let her do her thing with the others in the yard. If the coop is open, she heads straight to the box and stays there...no eggs

Last time around this took 5 WEEKS!!!

I even tried the cold water therapy last time and nothing is working for her!