Is it necessary to break a brooding hen?

[janneluecke]

I've seen a lot of posts about how to break a broody hen or that people give a brooder eggs to hatch. Is any of that necessary or is it just a way to prevent egg production slowdown or hatch your own chicks? I used to use a dog crate to break my broody hens but I just can't be bothered any more. I don't care that I don't get eggs from them and I don't want to hatch more at the moment. I just take them out at least once a day so I'm sure they are eating and drinking and getting some exercise and let it run its course. Any thoughts?

 

[orloffer]

I don't know if it is necessary--it probably isn't--but then again, I hear that being broody isn't that great for a hen's health, as she may not get the needed exercise, water, food, etc.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Broodies lose body condition from sitting, and are a little more prone to parasites since they're mostly stationary. So it's not great for their health.

 

[Hipenbec]

I let my hens stay broody because I wanted to what would happen. Just like you, I would normally try and break them of it, but working from home kind of gave me the time to let it run its course. In my case the hens would get up a couple times a day and go outside the and i put a waterer next to them to ensure they could get water. I always used treats as a way to lure them away from the nest for a little bit and gave them some layer feed still. I also would check them and make them move so I could clean the area once a week. I think it ultimately depends on how long the hen stays broody for.

 

[JaeG]

Some of our girls go broody 3 times a summer for up to 6 weeks at a time. They always bounce back (the Old English Game bantams hardly lose any condition) and are 6 years old now, still laying and still going strong. I leave them to it because it's a natural cycle (and I don't have the space to break 4-6 broodies at a time)! I also found that my broody ones would lay through winter when they were a bit younger. I enjoyed winter eggs for quite a few years there.

 

[Lorax]

You don’t have to. We do sort of half heartedly. We tend to chuck her off the nest once the others have laid, so we can collect the eggs, and close the hen house so can’t get back in and often this shortens the cycle. We have on occasion resorted to a dog crate. I don’t really like doing it tbh and now that we’ve hatched some eggs under a broody I think we may do that again!!

But we did have a hen which went broody at every change of the weather - she was a great weather predictor. I feel kinda bad now that we never let her experience being a mother hen (because clearly the instinct in her was so strong) but we were less experienced then and not really set up for it.

 

[alicia-TX]

I dont know the correct answer but I tried to break my Silkies of it once becase it must be so hot in those nesting boxes and I was worried about dehydration. It did not work so I do not bother any longer. Like you I take them out of the nesting box at least once a day of not more to make sure they eat and drink. It isn't long before they go right back in though. I also notice they get bullied more when they are broody and they come out with the others.

 

[The Moonshiner]

I've never broke a broody hen and it's never broke one of them by letting it run its course.

 

[Chicken poppy]

I've seen a lot of posts about how to break a broody hen or that people give a brooder eggs to hatch. Is any of that necessary or is it just a way to prevent egg production slowdown or hatch your own chicks? I used to use a dog crate to break my broody hens but I just can't be bothered any more. I don't care that I don't get eggs from them and I don't want to hatch more at the moment. I just take them out at least once a day so I'm sure they are eating and drinking and getting some exercise and let it run its course. Any thoughts?

Yes, it is pretty bad. heres the worst possible things.

She gets aggressive

its bad for her health Because she sits around until the eggs hatch which may still not break it.


she doesnt eat as much and drink as much water

if the eggs are bad and dont hatch she might get worse because she doesnt eat, stays aggressive, and it could be fatal.

a brooding hen may also transfer the “Brooding-ness” to the others aswell..


*Worst scenario*