How to manage brooding in flock?

[Monstertone]

I currently have 5 hens that free range in my fenced in backyard. (1/2 acre). It seems that almost continually, one of them is going broody on me. So, I put her in a cage for a few days to break it, as I read here.

Well, today I ordered 12 chicks, and I wondered - with 17 hens if I have the same situation it's going to be maddening!

How do you all with mid size to large flocks manage this? How in the heck to commericial producers manage this?

Thanks,

Tom

 

[sandy sea]

I think that the commericial farmers raise production breeds like Rhode Island Reds, they are not so broody.

 

[eggsrcool]

Most of my breeds dont go broody, only my silkie, pekin and sussexes, otherwise i might get the odd sebright broody.

 

[kuntrygirl]

Well it all depends if you want your hens to remain broody or not. If you want them to remain broody, then that's a good thing. But if you're like me and have as large of a flock as I do (almost 100 chickens) then it's a pain. You can control their environment. I hate when mine go broody because they do it so often but at the same time, I love the baby chicks. I NEVER have to use an incubator because my girls are always broody. When they go broody, just break their cycle every time. It also depends on the type of chicken. What breed of chicken did you order? You may have ordered a breed that will not go broody. My cochins are notorious for going broody while on the other side of that my Black Australops, Rhode Island Reds, etc NEVER go broody. It all depends up the breed you have and what you do when they go broody.

 

[lauralou]

Broody hens. A blessing and a plague, all at the same time.

I have lots of broody hens. My big mistake was hatching eggs that came from broody hens. Then every hen that hatched from those eggs was another broody. So definitely don't do that!

What I have done is built and acquired Broody Jails. I have 3 of them. So far I've never had more than 3 hens broody at the same time.

Most of my broodies are Dominiques that I bought from a breeder. Theoretically, hatchery bred birds aren't as broody. Hatcheries tend to breed that trait out. But that's not always the case. My other broodies came from a hatchery, and they are Buff Orps and Blue Andalusians. My hatchery birds that never, never go broody are my red sex links and my easter eggers.

I think that the breed that you choose does make a lot of difference. Although it's not foolproof.

I do allow my hens to hatch eggs occasionally, and when that time comes, I'm delighted that I have broody hens. They are wonderful mothers, and I'll never have to brood chicks in the house again. So that's the bright side.

The darker side is the loss of egg production, and the general pain in the butt that a broody hen presents. One of my favorite things is an old rabbit hutch that we got from my husband's best friend. I tore the front and the insides out and converted it into 2 cages with roosts, and little feeders and waterers. It's big, secure, and out of the way. So it makes breaking my broodies much less of a hassle.

Another thing to consider is that you can sell any excess broody hens that you have. I recently sold one, for a very nice price. I was only joking about it online, and someone read what I wrote, and snapped her right up. If you don't have a broody hen, and want to raise chicks, then the prospect of getting one (and only one!) is very appealing. So that's a thought.

 

[Monstertone]

kuntrygirl: -"What breed of chicken did you order?" - I ordered a mixture.

I currently have a RIR, leghorn, two EEs and a Welsummer. I like a very colorful variety of eggs, and so I ordered:

2 more EEs
3 cuckoo marans
2 salmon favs
2 barred rocks
1 gold laced wyandotte
2 welsummers


Maybe I'm causing my own problems. My Welsummer seems to be the worst as far as being broody.

Lauralou - I love the hutch! That would help make it a bit easier, but what bothers me most about the broodiness is the loss of eggs. Mine usually don't start laying again for about two weeks after it's broken.

That's one of the reason I'm ordering more birds. I'm not getting enough eggs. I eat and use a lot of eggs, and enjoy giving some to friends and family. If none of these birds went broody, it wouldn't be a problem...

 

[kuntrygirl]

Ok, now I understand. You want more eggs. I definitely understand. Then you will have to break up that broodiness. I'm in the same boat with you.

 

[lauralou]

Wow, 2 weeks is a long time for them to wait after they stop being broody!

Mine usually take about a week.

I've found that the sooner you figure out that they are broody and throw them in jail, the quicker you can break them. And the sooner you get them broken, the less time it takes for them to get back to laying.

I put them in jail at the first sign of broodiness, even if they are still laying. They raise a big ruckus, but it really doesn't hurt them to have to lay a couple of eggs in jail.

 

[Monstertone]

I thought it would only be a week from what I've read here, but it sure seems like two weeks. My Welsummer just was released from the slammer yesterday after doing three days of hard time. I'm gonna see exactly how many days go by before she starts laying again...

 

[JanieMarie]

I have 2 that have gone broody on me this week but only 1 jail. Anyone see a problem with putting 2 in jail together?