How to break eggless broody hen?!

[Hanathehappyhen]

One of my chickens has been trying to be broody on and off for a couple months. She's never been too serious, is happy to leave the nest for a few hours, and hasn't really pecked or growled at me. She's three years old and has slowed down laying to every other day. Weirdly enough she now has no eggs to sit on but is the most serious she's been and has only left the nest for breakfast. Any ideas on how you break a broody hen with no eggs/ if this can even happen?

 

[592667]

Deny her access to any nesting boxes or material she could use to make a nest.

You’ll probably have to do this for a few days (5-7) Until she is broken of her broodiness

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

One of my chickens has been trying to be broody on and off for a couple months. She's never been too serious, is happy to leave the nest for a few hours, and hasn't really pecked or growled at me. She's three years old and has slowed down laying to every other day. Weirdly enough she now has no eggs to sit on but is the most serious she's been and has only left the nest for breakfast. Any ideas on how you break a broody hen with no eggs/ if this can even happen?

My hens often go broody sitting on nothing I use the broody cage method... Put broody hen in a cage with no bedding just food and water, for around 3 days and nights. It helps if you can elevate the cage so there is airflow underneath to help cool off her broody hormones.

 

[FortCluck]

I take them out of the nesting box every time they go in it. They eventually give up and stop being broody. You can also get some day old chicks and put them under the broody, but then you will be adding chickens to your flock.

 

[aart]

Any ideas on how you break a broody hen with no eggs/ if this can even happen?

They don't need eggs to be broody.


First make sure she is broody, here are my go-to signs:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.
the longer you wait to break her, the longer it might take.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I let her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Tho not necessary, a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[gimmie birdies]

The chick thing broke one of my broodies, I would give her chicks at night, they were even older chicks. Then they went to the broody box during the day. She started leaving the nest so she could hear the chicks. (I had 3 trying to be broody in the same box.) One of the hens I gave 3 duck eggs to, and the other is in a separate pen. I am keeping her in there by herself until she lays an egg and stops clucking like a mom.

 

[Hanathehappyhen]

They don't need eggs to be broody.


First make sure she is broody, here are my go-to signs:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.
the longer you wait to break her, the longer it might take.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I let her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Tho not necessary, a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.
View attachment 2631075

Thanks! She is on the nest all day and night, does the weird cluck, but no broody screeches, just growls. Im not sure if that's because she's really tame or not.

 

[Hanathehappyhen]

I take them out of the nesting box every time they go in it. They eventually give up and stop being broody. You can also get some day old chicks and put them under the broody, but then you will be adding chickens to your flock.

I'd love to do that for her but already bought new chicks which are now way to big for her.

 

[Chicken poppy]

One of my chickens has been trying to be broody on and off for a couple months. She's never been too serious, is happy to leave the nest for a few hours, and hasn't really pecked or growled at me. She's three years old and has slowed down laying to every other day. Weirdly enough she now has no eggs to sit on but is the most serious she's been and has only left the nest for breakfast. Any ideas on how you break a broody hen with no eggs/ if this can even happen?

Yep! Go to my thread for detailed response* but just deny her access to her nest and try to keep her outside , it may break the urge to brood.