Problems with Broodiness - any ideas or thoughts?

[Kakaruk]

Hello Friends,

I've had lots of broodiness this spring and now into the summer. I usually have been taking the brooders out and putting them into the small coop on 'lock down' with water and food for 2-3 days which seems to 'cure' them. However, I've had 2-3 hens that just seem to go back to brooding and it's affecting the behavior of the flock with aggressiveness, fighting, or picking at feathers etc. Anyway, we had an aggressive rooster early in this flock before I rehomed him and I'm thinking it affected the girls' behavior. I even suspect that the broodiness is like an anxiety reaction, the flock is jumpy and on edge, even after the rooster is long gone. I'm hoping the longer the rooster is gone the better they will get but IDK. Bottom line: any ideas on trying to help have less broodiness, I mean come on man, it's late July and we don't have any fertilized eggs. I have to keep separating the broodies into the small coop and it's a huge pain and extra work. Uuhhhggh!

 

[BigBlueHen53]

What breed(s) are your broodies?

 

[Kakaruk]

What breed(s) are your broodies?

It's a big mix. Some are white like a Leghorn mix, Olive Egger mix, dark brown hens.... It's 4 different ones in a flock of 14. I'm sharing the rooster messed them up. What do you think?

 

[FrostRanger]

I don't think the rooster had anything to do with it. Broody hens tend to make the rest of the flock grumpy too, some birds are just determined to hatch out chicks and the presence of a rooster doesn't change that. As for what to do about this annoying problem, collect eggs frequently as not collecting eggs enough can make it more likely you'll have a broody and maybe try a coop fan? Otherwise, just hang in there

 

[Finchbreeder]

You could give try moving these 4 to a seperate cage - as you have. But instead of returning them after a couple of days - double the timeout.
Not a guarantee - but sometimes extra time works with caged birds - so might with chickens.

 

[Perris]

I've had 2-3 hens that just seem to go back to brooding and it's affecting the behavior of the flock with aggressiveness, fighting, or picking at feathers etc.

Why do you think it is these 2-3 hens' behaviour that's causing the aggressiveness etc.? What are they doing to make you think that?

Are they bored? Are they overheating? Are they short of protein? Are they enduring biting insects or parasites or unpleasant smells? There are lots of reasons why they may be getting irritable and snapping at each other.

Like FrostRanger I don't think the ex-rooster has anything to do with it. I suspect the broodies don't either.

Bottom line: any ideas on trying to help have less broodiness, I mean come on man, it's late July and we don't have any fertilized eggs.

I have had hens go broody into October. The breeding season is not over yet. And they don't know / care the eggs aren't fertilized. Broodiness is driven by hormones. They have no more control over it than you do over your hormones.

I have to keep separating the broodies into the small coop and it's a huge pain and extra work. Uuhhhggh!

You could just leave them be. That's what I've been doing this summer. One gave up after about 6 weeks. Three who started later are still there, approaching the same sort of time scales. I just lift them off once daily at dinner time, and they eat, bathe, poo, preen, drink, and go back, no fuss bar the shouting at the start. That's not a lot of work for me.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

@Ridgerunner says that broody hens put on a layer of fat to sustain them for the several weeks they will be broody, up to about six weeks, and that when that fat is depleted they will stop being broody. So it seems to me you could basically do nothing and they will get over it eventually. But of course this means you will get no eggs from that hen for the duration.

 

[Mrs. K]

You know what - these girls are not working for you or your flock. SELL them. A lot of people love to have a broody. Keep one, have her raise some new pullets for you. Then sell her. Getting rid of the birds you don't like, gives you room for new birds. It keeps your flock younger, and multi-generational - which makes it healthier.

Just cause you have a bird, is no reason to keep her. Especially when they are ruining your pleasure in keeping them. Just move them on, without feeling guilty.

Mrs K

 

[Ridgerunner]

Bottom line: any ideas on trying to help have less broodiness, I mean come on man, it's late July and we don't have any fertilized eggs. I have to keep separating the broodies into the small coop and it's a huge pain and extra work. Uuhhhggh!

Your former rooster has nothing to do with them going broody. As Perris said, that has to do with their hormones, which boils down to heredity. Some hens go broody a lot, some never do. Some may occasionally. They inherit genetics for this.

Some production breeds have had broodiness mostly bred out of them. When a hen goes broody they get rid of her and do not allow her to breed or have chicks. After a few generations they have a flock where most of the hens do not go broody. Do the same thing with your flock. Get rid of any hen that goes broody. Only keep ones that never go broody. It may take a while to get it sorted out but it sounds like you will eventually be a lot happier.

You know what - these girls are not working for you or your flock. SELL them.

Just cause you have a bird, is no reason to keep her. Especially when they are ruining your pleasure in keeping them. Just move them on, without feeling guilty.

I agree.

it's affecting the behavior of the flock with aggressiveness, fighting, or picking at feathers

Broodiness should not be causing this. I think there is some other underlying reason. Often they are overcrowded so getting rid of a few hens might help. Sometimes they are just bullies, they have personalities that make them psychopaths. You might have one or more feather-pickers. If one or two specific ones are getting beaten up there may be something physically wrong with her.

I do not know what is going on with your flock but getting rid of troublemakers can help you obtain a peaceful flock. Having extra room can sometimes work wonders.

Good luck!