How to Break a Broody Hen

[littlechicken123]

Thanks so much! I can really use this when my hens go broody.

I am actually kinda hoping one of my chicks end up being a rooster so I can have little chicks running around xD Plus, I can sell them on CL to make up for their expensive supplies.

 

[ChickenAlgebra]

Have a BR who laid all of winter and while molting. Went broody. Wire cage didn't work. Ice clutch didn't work. Roo got his butt whipped. I gave her guinea keets, she's thrilled. Sigh. I've broken Cochins easy enough. Not this laying fool.

 

[jndorsey]

If her chest is irritated from where the feathers have fallen out, you necessarily need to cage her. If you don't have a cage readily available, you can construct one. I'd check your local classfieds, Craigslist, or Freecycle first. The cage I have was made by a coworker, whose wife did a stint with wildlife rehab. It's a squirrel cage! She will squawk and holler and make you feel like a bad chicken mommy -- don't worry about it though, she'll get over it as soon as you let her out. The beauty of keeping pets with brains the size of a pea is they don't hold a grudge very long. I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!

 

[rivers2011]

I'm new to raising chickens and want to make sure: hens will only go broody with the presence of a rooster, correct?

 

[jndorsey]

Nope! It's either hormones or "voices". No one knows for sure - but no rooster required. All I have is three hens and one goes broody three or four times/year. Oddly, she is the least consistent layer and is of a breed not celebrated for their laying or brooding. Go figure.

 

[rivers2011]

oh dear, thanks for the warning! I hope none of my Columbia Rocks go through this...it seems like quite the hassle

 

[new2thischick]

Alright.. it has officially been over a month and this hen cannot be broken.. I tried the cage thing.. she laid an egg. When she got out she immediately went back to the nest.. I know she is eating and drinking because I kick her off the nest once a day. I wish she had done this before we got rid of the rooster and bought 5 little chicks..

HOWEVER.. My friend brought over a bantam hens egg.. fertilized! It is a small little egg for my BO/Polish mix.. How long will she stay broody? i don't care if she hatches the egg, I figured if she does than it will be a bonus. I almost feel like everytime I tried to break her I hit the restart button on being broody. Will she stay this way until she gets what she wants? Also is it ok to take her off once a day just to make sure she eats and drinks a little?

What to do, what to do?

My Hen has gone perma broody! Insistent!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Sometimes you can't fight City Hall, nor Mother Nature. If you have a hen that is so insistant on being broody, it might be best to let that be her job, in your flock or in someone else's. Maybe it will be enough to satisfy her to have that one little egg to incubate and one chick to tend.

There are different schools of thought on taking broodies off their nest to eat & drink, I myself leave them alone to take care of their own needs at their own time.

 

[mxitman]

I'm going to have to give this a try, one of my hens as been sitting/broody for about a month now, only have seen her out for a quick snack and some water. I thought she would give up but she's determined to hatch the ceramic egg..lol we have no rooster and can't have any more chickens so a fertile egg is out of the question.

Thanks

 

[Chicky Tocks]

I've got four broodies right now. Three black copper marans and one olive egger! I have no room for babies, so I've gotta break this up! Not to mention that my egg production is way down due to this. I don't have four wire cages, so I'm heading out with ice packs to put under them. Geez it's 104 degrees out there and you'd think that they'd want to find a breeze, not sit hot in a coop! I like the idea of putting them on the roost at night as well. I've actually done this before to a broody, but not every night. I'll be trying giving that a start tonight.