How to Break a Broody Hen

[Nupe]

If she's pacing and squawking, she's probably not ready. I had to break one broody this season. I didn't have a wire bottom cage to elevate so I put her in my "hospital" which is just a wire dog crate with wood shavings. I put a roost in there with a fan blowing at it. I would approach the cage each day with a handful of scratch which I would offer directly from my hand. It didn't matter if she took it from me or not. If she puffed up like a turkey and started clucking at me, she wasn't ready to come out. When she went back to "happy chicken" when I offered treats, I took her back to the flock the next day. She spent about a week and a half in the kennel.

 

[MesMama]

Awesome! Thank you I think I haven't been leaving her in there long enough, which may explain the repeated broodiness every few weeks

Whoops!

 

[smorris]

With my broody girls I find that four days seems to do the trick every time. I have tried to shorten it a couple of times and it never worked. Even tried taking them out in three days and it didn't work. For some reason though the four days has worked every time. Here's how I do it. I take them out of the nesting box on the first day first thing in the morning and put them in the broody breaker. I leave them in a full four days taking them out the evening of the fourth day right before feeding them dinner. It has worked for me every single time. Good luck!

 

[MesMama]

Thank you! I'll see how she is in four days Hopefully it works!

 

[smorris]

Hi MesMama~

I feel pretty confident it will work. I have done the same thing with my broody girls and it has worked on them every time. Let me know how it goes though! I will be curious to see if it works as well for you. Good luck!

 

[MesMama]

Just checked on her, she is not happy :/ She dumped her food and clearly wants OUT! Lol! Couple more days Fran (I started calling her fertile Fran ;P

 

[smorris]

Hi MesMama~

That is exactly how mine act. The first couple of days are the worst. They pace and jump around and quite often spill their food, etc. Usually on the third day they are starting to calm down a bit and then on the fourth day they seem more like their normal selves and this is the day they get let out. Hopefully this all goes well and works as well for you as it has for me. I also forgot to mention and this is very important, but probably something you already know. You have her on a raised wire bottom cage right? It is very important to get the air flow up under her belly and cool down her body temperature. Keeping them in a wire bottomed cage that is raised off the ground allows the cooler air to circulate underneath them and also doesn't allow for a comfortable place to nest and continue their broody behavior. Good luck.

 

[MesMama]

Hi MesMama~

That is exactly how mine act. The first couple of days are the worst. They pace and jump around and quite often spill their food, etc. Usually on the third day they are starting to calm down a bit and then on the fourth day they seem more like their normal selves and this is the day they get let out. Hopefully this all goes well and works as well for you as it has for me. I also forgot to mention and this is very important, but probably something you already know. You have her on a raised wire bottom cage right? It is very important to get the air flow up under her belly and cool down her body temperature. Keeping them in a wire bottomed cage that is raised off the ground allows the cooler air to circulate underneath them and also doesn't allow for a comfortable place to nest and continue their broody behavior. Good luck.

I do have her in a wire cage that is off the ground, yep! I made that rookie mistake a couple times back So it's up off the ground and I took the pan thing out of it that lined the bottom. I don't have anything for her to roost on, is that necessary? And thanks for your help!

 

[bruceha2000]

There is no roost in my broody buster though some people have them. Nupe's description of broody vs "coming out of it" is very good.

If yours is fine for 4 or 5 weeks and then goes broody again, it isn't because you took her out too soon, it is because her hormones kicked in AGAIN

. A bird that is still broody will head back to the nest right quick after she is let out of the buster, though she may go hit the morning treats (if you do that. mine get BOSS every morning). If she has spent even one day being a "normal chicken" and stays out of the nests, she has "broken". She likely won't lay an egg for 5 to 7 days after breaking so if she is in the nest the day after she is let out, remove her from the nest and put her with the rest of the chickens. If you have fake eggs in the nest boxes, remove them. One of mine, if JUST going broody, will sit on eggs (fake or real) but will not go back in the nest if I remove her and there are no eggs in the nests.

Sorry to say that yours, like 4 of my 9 three year old hens, is a serial broody.

 

[MesMama]

There is no roost in my broody buster though some people have them. Nupe's description of broody vs "coming out of it" is very good.

If yours is fine for 4 or 5 weeks and then goes broody again, it isn't because you took her out too soon, it is because her hormones kicked in AGAIN

. A bird that is still broody will head back to the nest right quick after she is let out of the buster, though she may go hit the morning treats (if you do that. mine get BOSS every morning). If she has spent even one day being a "normal chicken" and stays out of the nests, she has "broken". She likely won't lay an egg for 5 to 7 days after breaking so if she is in the nest the day after she is let out, remove her from the nest and put her with the rest of the chickens. If you have fake eggs in the nest boxes, remove them. One of mine, if JUST going broody, will sit on eggs (fake or real) but will not go back in the nest if I remove her and there are no eggs in the nests.

Sorry to say that yours, like 4 of my 9 three year old hens, is a serial broody.

Hehe!!! Yep I think I have a serial for sure! Which I am happy about too I guess Just hope she does this next spring

I'm gonna give her a big ol clutch of fertilized eggs and let her do her thing!