Official BYC Poll: What Do You Do With Broody Hens?

[Dottie the Chicken]

I've tried breaking some in the past, other times I collect eggs every day and they just stop eventually.

 

[Silkie Princess]

I seperate them and give them eggs or chicks (if it's starting to get cooler outside) . I always move broody hens because other hens kick them out of the nest

 

[SueT]

I learned from BYC to break the broodiness by putting the hen in a wire bottom cage for at least 2 days and nights, sometimes it takes 3. My broody cages are in our basement where it is cooler than the outdoors. If the weather is really hot I set up a little fan to help cool them off.
In 2 days, I put them back in the flock, if they go back to the nest, it’s back to broody jail for another night.

The sooner you break them, the sooner they go back to laying.

 

[SubArcticFowl]

I am watching this thread closely. I am hoping I have a hen go broody this spring and then I'll get some fertile eggs to put under her.

 

[Feather father]

So I'm looking into breeding a chicken that could if given the opportunity to raise chicks on there own I would separate broodyhens and then I would introduce a rooster I've studied intensively to determine the traits I want

 

[Auntiejessi3]

I haven't had a broody hen...yet

 

[Chookwagn]

There's no poll option for giving a broody day old chicks.

I give my broodies chicks straight from the incubator. Or eggs that have less than a week to go before hatch.

 

[ChickenGirl300]

Usually, I take away the eggs and make my broody leave the nest. Like clockwork, she goes broody at the same time every Summer. This year though, we bought her hatching eggs and now she is the proud mom of her chicks.

 

[3KillerBs]

Having no rooster and the new coop still under construction I broke my broody (repeatedly), last summer.

This spring I will let her sit. (I need to add a broody hutch inside the new coop so she can stay with the flock and integrate her babies readily).

 

[Everose]

For those who let their hens brood but have no roosters, how do you do it?

I don't. The hens won't break themselves or just stop once the 21 days is up, they keep going, and it's unhealthy.
I would take the eggs and place icepacks under the hen to bring down her body temp, she should quit trying after a couple times.