Is this what "broody" means?

[IamRainey]

My Barnvelder has begun to sit on the nest for days at a time. She is hunkered down with her feathers raised and her head drooped making barely a sound from morning until night. Sometimes she lays an egg. Sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes she's sitting on another hen's egg.

We don't have a rooster so she isn't fertile. I don't think she's eating much because there's a distinct difference in the amount of poo I'm cleaning up these days.

Will she get this out of her system? Do I need to do something about it? Where does this instinct come from if there isn't a rooster about?

 

[chickencheeper]

Yes, she is broody, there are many articles on how to “break a broody”

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Do I need to do something about it? Where does this instinct come from if there isn't a rooster about?

Mother Nature hardwired hens to brood for survival of the species. To break her, limit her access to the nests.
I will take awhile for her metabolism to snap out of it.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Has nothing to do with roosters or if eggs are fertile or not. It's a hormonal thing that comes on with the change of season. Spring is in the air and birds want to nest.

The use of a wired cage is the best method to break her of brooding. What you need to do is contain her in a wired bottom container raised off the ground a bit. A cage kennel works best for this. Do not put a tray in there or any nesting material just food and water. Let her poop right through the cage. If you leave her in that for three days she will be "busted" of the hormonal change. She'll get back into lay sooner if you bust her in first few days but can take two weeks to come back into lay if allowed to brood for 3 plus days. Regardless, it's best to bust them of brooding as soon as possible if you don't plan to give them fertile eggs. Brooding is hard on the girls and no need to put them through it if there won't be chicks from the ordeal. They eat less, poop once a day and generally takes a lot of energy to brood.

 

[IamRainey]

Thank you for those responses. I'm completely new at this and your shared experiences are invaluable.

Let me ask this in the interest of understanding what's going on:

If I'm not concerned that she won't be laying, I assume she won't starve. At some point she'll decide she's put in her duty time and go out into the run for food and water, right?

I shooed her out of the nesting box twice today. She went down and I at least got to see her go to the watering bucket. I will continue to do that but I don't have something to restrain her from the nesting boxes while still permitting the other girls up there when they need to be.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Somebody you know must have a cage kennel. If not you can buy one at a box store for under $20. Here's one at Walmart: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Single-D...466001f5-5ab036f7-2a85b91d72dad92&athena=true

Sure you could just let her sit it out until she finally gives up but that is hard on her. Yes they do eat and drink and poop once a day when broody. They will lose weight, pull out their belly feathers and generally be miserable all the while losing good physical condition. There is no reason to allow a bird to do that. They will sit on no eggs longer than the 21 days needed to actually hatch eggs. Just use a cage and bust her of it. Get it over with and you've got a cage for future use of busting. A bird that broods can attempt to do so three times from spring to fall and then you have next year. It's a small investment to be prepared to nip the broody problem in the bud before any ill effects.

 

[IamRainey]

OK. I'm convinced.

Should this cage be in the coop or in the run?

 

[WVduckchick]

How bout getting some fertile eggs and giving to her. Let her hatch a few?

 

[sylviethecochin]

Either is good, so long as there's a roof. More air circulation is better, though—the cooler air under her belly is said to be part of what breaks the cycle. You may want to prop the kennel up on blocks or something.

Or, if you're not opposed to having chicks, you could give her some fertile eggs, or wait a few weeks and slip (sexed) day-old chicks under her... Breaking isn't the only option.

 

[IamRainey]

Thanks for the thoughts about the fertile eggs.

I have 5 chicks coming in June so that sorta eliminates that option.

We'll get through this. And I'm learning.