SOS: Broody Hen!

[nikkersMT]

One of my hens has been broody for the last week or so. I read in another forum that putting them in a seperate cage for a couple of days will cure them of it...... not so. She's been in the cage for three days and it doesn't appear that she's changed any. I took her out this evening and found that she was sitting on a big pile of her poop! Yucky! .... I put her outside so she could get some exercise for pete's sake! .... She has been pecking me when I reach in the cage, and she has not layed an egg for quite a few days. I'm pretty sure my hens are going through a molting stage, but I'm just wondering what is going on with her! I'm quite concerned. Thank you for any adivce and help

 

[Judy]

Broodies normally get up once a day to eat, drink and poop. They usually do this when no one is looking. Occasionally one doesn't get up, though. You can take them out of the nest once a day and prod them until they eat and drink if you wish, just to be sure they are eating.

Being broody is a hormonal thing and not easy to stop; I have given up trying, I just make sure they get up every day. Sometimes moving them to a different nest, if you have another area, will break them. Sometimes you just have to wait it out.

Of course you can always sneak a couple of day old chicks under them at night, or give them fertile eggs to hatch. They will raise the chicks in with the flock. It is a sure fire way to break them, in 3 weeks.

 

[CindyJeann]

The first time our hen went broody this summer I thought "She is so great." The second time I was saying "She is really serious about this." The third time I was "OMGosh get over it already."

I kicked her out of the nest every day when I gathered eggs and made sure she ate and drank. She came back and sat on golf balls as soon as I was out of there. After 2.5 weeks with us kicking her out daily and setting her in cool water a couple times, I broke down and gave her chicks to raise. I sure hope this is her last one for the year.

 

[devora]

Welcome to BYC!

Both moulting and broodiness will stop laying.

Did she run back on the nest?

 

[StedFamFarm]

So, our nest boxes are almost 3 feet off the ground - that's probably not going to work for baby chicks, right? Should I move my broody girl to a lower nest box before I tuck the chicks in? And is it safest to separate her from the rest of the flock into her own coop (my 8 hens free range during the day, all locked into coop together at night)?

 

[nikkersMT]

Thank you so much to Judy (flockwatcher) and Cindy Jeann for the advice. I suppose I can put a couple of eggs under her and let her hatch them. I have a rooster so the eggs are fertilized. I just figured it was getting too late in the summer for it. I live in Eastern Montana, so I am fearing that it will get too cold too soon for the little chicks. What do you think?

 

[nikkersMT]

Devora - She does go back to her nest even after me putting her outside for a bit. And, no, she is not laying any eggs right now. But we're doing okay without her egg.