Stopping the Broody crazyness

[blue fire]

I have a buff orpington hen and she is broody, but we do not want her to be. Last year she was broody and we put some chicks under her, but this year we cannot. how do i make her stop brooding

right now we have her in a dog crate in the house. how long will it take her to get over her broodyness?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Confine her to a cage with wire at the bottom so she can get a breeze up under her. Try a rabbit or parrot cage set up on blocks or sawhorses. No bedding, just food & water and a copy of Working Woman magazine. There's something about the airflow up under their bare broody patches that resets their systems. Let her out after 3-4 days, watch what she does. If she goes back to her nest spot, she will need a few more days in the Broody Buster. If she goes back to her regular routine, eating, scratching, dust bathing, hanging out with the flock, then she's done. Some hens go broody more frequently than others. Keep your Broody Buster handy for this bird.

 

[mmtillman]

OK.....I am a newbie and dont understand this thing about
''Broody hens'' ??
Why is it not desirable and why do people always try to discourage them from doing it ??
Is it because of the loss of eggs, because they dont lay when brooding??
Or do they still lay during this time?? I have 24 hens who are 3.5 weeks old, and want to learn alll about this broody business , so I will know what it is and why I need to stop it....

Thanks in advance for all the help you all give me!! I made it so far with out loosing any chicks and I owe it all to all of you who share your knowledge with us newbies!

 

[flakey chick]

They stop laying when they go broody. They also get a broody temperment. It is hard on them as they only get off the nest to eat drink and poop once a day. Going broody is a wonderful thing if you want them to hatch chicks. They do all the work for you, but you do have to separate them from the rest of the flock.

 

[greenfamilyfarms]

Are you interested in selling her? I love broodiness!

 

[Ducklove334]

Quote:
I think, I'm not sure, but most people who only have laying hens and no roos, don't want the hens to go broody(wich they will), being broody takes alot out of the hens, they don't eat much during those 3 weeks, and so get thin, a hen will sit and sit and sit until she either gets bored, or dies from starvation.

or prople who don't want more chicks at the time.

we've got 2 broody hens, 1 is an OEG mix sitting on teo of her own eggs, 3 duck eggs, and 2 or 3 standard sized eggs, and our silkie is finally firmly broody, sitting on 6 or 7 standard eggs. we're letting them sit so they can hatch the chicks.

 

[mmtillman]

OK....it is beginning to make sense now.
Thanks !!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

This is why many of the standard breeds that were bred for egg production have had the broody instinct selectively bred out of them. If you want your hens to make eggs you want busy career-minded girls who will lay 'em & leave 'em, not want to take off work for a 2 month + maternity leave a few times a year.

Some breeds are more likely to have broody individuals than others, many bantams will brood because they were bred for size & appearance, not egg production.

I have a lot of mixed-breed banties that periodically go broody, some more often than others. I used to keep a salvaged parrot cage (made of wire that sits on a wire stand) handy to use as a Broody Buster. Then I decided to accomodate these hens by giving them 4-6 of the standard hens' eggs to incubate. The mixed-breed pullets that hatch make great layers that I can sell or give to friends to start their own flocks. The cockerels make nice dinner guests.