OMG everybody's Broody!

[Dhkoenig]

Mostly venting here but i have 12 hens and 4 are broody! We don't have a rooster, nor do we have space for more chickens so I put the first one in broody jail, and now I added another to the cell (LOL) but they are an atrocity to clean - having them in a crate for a full day you have to clean the nasty poops and grates, and then do it again in the morning - and now I have two more broodies! My husband is outside trying to build a bigger and easier-access for cleaning broody jail but this is ridiculous! Why are so many broody this year? I usually only have the same two broodies but this year, I have three additional broodies - I just broke one of the annual broodies but have four more now! Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?

 

[puddleglumWI]

Mostly venting here but i have 12 hens and 4 are broody! We don't have a rooster, nor do we have space for more chickens so I put the first one in broody jail, and now I added another to the cell (LOL) but they are an atrocity to clean - having them in a crate for a full day you have to clean the nasty poops and grates, and then do it again in the morning - and now I have two more broodies! My husband is outside trying to build a bigger and easier-access for cleaning broody jail but this is ridiculous! Why are so many broody this year? I usually only have the same two broodies but this year, I have three additional broodies - I just broke one of the annual broodies but have four more now! Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?

I just posted with nearly the exact same issue, three out of my five legbars are showing signs of broodiness, two of them in full brood.

 

[LaFleche]

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?

I don't know what got into them, but last night I caught broody #21 in the nest box and moved her in with # 19 and # 20 of this year!

 

[Ridgerunner]

Does anyone have any idea why this is happening?

Because hens can be contrary PITA's. If I want one to go broody "Oh no, not me buddy. Break out your incubator and handle it yourself." If I'm trying to collect eggs to out under a broody " I want to hatch them. I want to hatch them." So they go broody and quit laying, making it harder to collect enough eggs. Aggravating things. Or if I have all of the chicks I want for the year and just want eggs several decide it is a good time to go broody.

Seriously, I do not know why it happens like that. My worst time was out of seven hens I had three go broody at the same time. My broody buster is big enough so I could put them all in at the same time.

 

[WingItRanch]

Because hens can be contrary PITA's. If I want one to go broody "Oh no, not me buddy. Break out your incubator and handle it yourself." If I'm trying to collect eggs to out under a broody " I want to hatch them. I want to hatch them." So they go broody and quit laying, making it harder to collect enough eggs. Aggravating things. Or if I have all of the chicks I want for the year and just want eggs several decide it is a good time to go broody.

Seriously, I do not know why it happens like that. My worst time was out of seven hens I had three go broody at the same time. My broody buster is big enough so I could put them all in at the same time.

And here I was wanting a broody this spring and got none! Figures...

 

[Chicalina]

It's just that time of year! Plus it's contagious.

I have 3 broody out of 9 hens right now.

Forget broody jail, I just close off the nest box for a few days and don't let anyone access it. Sure, they lay a few eggs on the coop floor but that doesn't matter, it's only temporary. When they can all behave (sit, lay, leave) then they get the nest box back.