Little Miss Broody

[bluey]

My hen (pictured to the left) Churkey, seems to go broody every other month. I have to remove her from the coop until she's broken from it and I lose a week or two of egg production each time. I know many of you would kill for a broody so I won't complain but I have a few questions.

Do some breeds just go broody much easier than others?

Is my chicken one of those breeds (I really don't know exactly what breed she is. I'm assuming she's a Delaware mix)?

Is there any way to stem the inherent broodiness in a chicken?

Would letting her raise a clutch of eggs make her more apt to go broody in the future or less?

 

[gumpsgirl]

Hmmmm... These are all very good questions! I wish I had some answers for you, sorry. Maybe someone with more experience in this area will chime in and help you out!

 

[Buff Hooligans]

I have all Buff Orps, which are known to go broody more than other breeds.

Out of 4 hens, I have just one that has gone broody. And she went seriously broody three times in the first 14 months of her life. None of the other hens have.

So I would say it largely depends on the breed, then on the individual.

Here she is, in all her grumpy glory after I tossed her out of the nestbox yet again.

 

[SpottedCrow]

Silkies and Cochins are determined setters too...Goddess help you if you have a mixed breed of these two...OY.

My Miss MoneyPenny would lay like 2 dozen eggs then sit and sit and sit and sit...even when I took the eggs away...
Breaking up a broody will not cause her to call peta on you or make her go to therapy for the rest of her life.

It's a hormonal thing...so she'd just keep going broody at set points in her "career".