How to Break a Broody Hen

[bruceha2000]

Broodiness has been busted! (see posts #844, and 846 for background.) This was day three in the broody buster, and the plan was to keep Miss Broody (Rosy) confined another 24 hrs at least. (She had been broody over a month.) But we were going to work on the henhouse, and it was going to be noisy and disruptive. We sent the girls out free range, and I decided to let Rosy go out too and keep an eye on her. She happily joined the others and never looked back. They were out over 3 hours in the wind and cold, and I swear she was having a ball, like a weight had been lifted. As the sun set, she lingered outside with the others, reluctant to go inside, just like the old days. She was the last in, and for the first time in weeks, there was a 'roost war' as she asserted her dominance and demanded the prime location. I actually went out after dark with a flashlight to double check, and she was right there on the roost, in the middle, her spot. BYC forums have again saved the day! Thanks to you all!

I'm surprised she broke in 3 days given how long she had been broody but YEA!!! I'm sure she is a much happier chicken.

Given the short days and cold weather, colder coming, she should be good until spring. Now that you know the signs of a broody and how determined her hormones are, you can catch her quick next time around.

 

[SueT]

I am glad to hear that they are not usually broody in the winter because I was thinking it would be a big hassle to provide water when it's below freezing.
And YES from now on, I will be certain to employ the broody buster right away for any of them.

 

[will64kyl01]

my 3 other hens quit laying as soon as my silky went to broody is this common what must I do?

 

[bruceha2000]

my 3 other hens quit laying as soon as my silky went to broody is this common what must I do?

More than likely it is just circumstantial, assuming it happened recently. Low light in the fall and winter shuts down a lot of laying hens. I have not noticed any connection between one of mine going broody and others no longer laying, or (for those that go broody) to go broody as well.

 

[Ali23]

Are Wyandotte's frequently broody?
I have had one that remained broody for over a month came out of it and then became broody a week or so later for another month. Her health suffered and she has recently succumbed to the extreme heat we are experiencing this summer (I am in Australia). My other Wyandotte has now become broody and I am fearful that she to will suffer from heat, exhaustion, dehydration and also perish.
My neighbour has five Hamburg hens and claims that they have never become broody. I am contemplating getting some of them rather than Wyandotte's. As lovely as the Hamburg's are I have a real soft spot for the Wyandotte's and I am loath to change breeds just yet.
I live in the inner city so having a large flock to experiment with isn't an option. With the extreme heat I don't think being suspended in a wire cage for a few days in an attempt to break her will make any difference to her at all.
Any ideas, suggestions and information very welcome.
Ali

 

[Nupe]

There are lots of lists of chicken breeds out there with meat/egg/broody traits but that's only really reliable when you get your chickens from a breeder rather than a hatchery. It's hard to say which breeds are more prone to be broody these days since most backyard chickens come out of huge hatcheries that no longer put so much effort into those breeding qualities. Behaviors like broodiness can pop up in just about any breed.

Either way, if I were you, I would work to break those broodies as soon as possible with the heat. I would bring them in the house or set up the wire bottom cage outside in a shady area. If it's as hot as you're describing I might even go as far as blowing a fan under her bottom to help cool her off. The actual goal of the wire bottom cage is to bring the hens' temperature down. I've done it without a wire bottom cage. I gave her a roost with a fan blowing at it and she was broken in a week.

They're certainly not happy about being in there and they'll knock over anything that's not tied down so definitely keep an eye on her water. Being broody is pretty hard on a hen (and you) and if you're not having her incubate eggs, there's no good reason to let her suffer through it.

I've posted this pic a couple of times. This is my "chicken hospital" with my broody. It didn't break my her as fast as they claim the wire bottom works, but it did work...



Before I put in the roost, every chicken I put in here tried to roost on the food/water hangers. If I put in regular dishes, they'd spill everything. I made sure the roost was taller. So far this is the best dog kennel hospital setup I've come up with. I could probably have 2 at once in here if it comes down to it.

 

[Ali23]

Thank you so much for your detailed information. If broodiness is random I will stick with the Wyandotte's then. I love their relaxed nature and my kids just adore cuddling and playing with them. I will bring her indoors for the next couple of days to protect her from the heat. We are looking at 42 degrees (around 105F) for the next few days. I will have to hunt up a wire cage to imprison her. Poor thing.
Thank you again for the info.

 

[bruceha2000]

Thank you so much for your detailed information. If broodiness is random I will stick with the Wyandotte's then. I love their relaxed nature and my kids just adore cuddling and playing with them. I will bring her indoors for the next couple of days to protect her from the heat. We are looking at 42 degrees (around 105F) for the next few days. I will have to hunt up a wire cage to imprison her. Poor thing.
Thank you again for the info.

I agree with Nupe. Even if it is hot, being up off the ground in a wire bottom cage is better than being in a nest box. I don't know if part of it is the "not a hatching location" aspect. A fan blowing up under her would likely help and if necessary maybe you can find a place to get block ice and blow cold air under her during the day. The bottom of mine is 1/2 inch hardware cloth so the footing is comfortable. I don't have a roost in it.

Given your bird is serious (back at it after only 1 week off) I wouldn't let her stay broody even 1 day after it is sure that she is broody yet again. You have already seen the damage a broody bird can do to herself waiting for the non existent eggs to hatch.

As far as which breeds to keep, you have to decide what your balance is between egg production and whatever other factors your birds play in your life. A broody bird isn't likely going to be your best layer since they usually don't lay again for 5-7 days AFTER they break. That said, I had a Partridge Chantecler that went broody often but when she wasn't broody or moulting she was a machine. 47% on average of the days since her first egg which almost matches my 2 best layers (a BA and an EE) that have never gone broody. My other frequently broody birds run in the high 20% to mid 30%.

 

[sgps]

Hi, I'm sorry but can you tell me all the metheds because I don't really want to read through all of these answers thanks.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Just begin at the beginning. The original post has a lot of good basic information.