To "Break" or "Not to Break" - that is the question ...

[AppleMomma65]

I'm torn.

I have 11 hens - year olds that have been faithfully laying eggs - and no rooster. And I can't raise more chicks due to ordinance limits. It's been very, very warm here in N. Wisconsin so it's been hard to keep them cool. They free-range most of the day. During this heat, my favorite chicken has gone broody, a buff orpington - this is the third time in the last month. She's a sweetie and while she puffs up when I find her on the nest, she has not bitten me when I take her off.

• Cold water - doesn't work.
• Blocking off nest boxes - doesn't work. It only makes it so the others lay eggs in the coop, run or in the yard.
• "Broody box/chicken jail" inside the covered run for two days - she's sad, I'm sad. I have let her out to free-range in the evening when it's cooler - which I probably shouldn't have done. When she's out on a short release, she hides from her mates under our front porch. And then --- I find her back in a nest box. So back into "jail" she goes. Her feathers are dull. She does eat and drink, but not much.

My question: How many of you "break a broody" who wants to set on non-fertile eggs? How many of you just leave the hen alone and let nature run its course?

I posted a - what I thought was a fun/cute - picture of her in "jail" on my FB page and got a nasty response from a friend who said I should just leave her alone and let nature do its thing.

I'm feeling very guilty and would love to read the differing opinions you all have while I wait for her to literally chill out.

 

[sourland]

Your 'friend' author of the nasty response apparently knows little about chicken husbandry. Some hens will break naturally. Others will set so long and become so debilitated that they are susceptible to illness and die. Sometimes allowing a hen to raise a clutch will lengthen the period between broody spells. You might try fostering some pullet chicks to her.

 

[jonalisa]

I'm torn.

I have 11 hens - year olds that have been faithfully laying eggs - and no rooster. It's been very, very warm here in N. Wisconsin so it's been hard to keep them cool. They free-range most of the day. During this heat, my favorite chicken has gone broody, a buff orpington - this is the third time in the last month. She's a sweetie and while she puffs up when I find her on the nest, she has not bitten me when I take her off.

• Cold water - doesn't work.
• Blocking off nest boxes - doesn't work. It only makes it so the others lay eggs in the coop, run or in the yard.
• "Broody box/chicken jail" inside the covered run for two days - she's sad, I'm sad. I have let her out to free-range in the evening when it's cooler - which I probably shouldn't have done. When she's out on a short release, she hides from her mates under our front porch. And then --- I find her back in a nest box. So back into "jail" she goes. Her feathers are dull. She does eat and drink, but not much.

My question: How many of you "break a broody" who wants to set on non-fertile eggs? How many of you just leave the hen alone and let nature run its course?

I posted a - what I thought was a fun/cute - picture of her in "jail" on my FB page and got a nasty response from a friend who said I should just leave her alone and let nature do its thing.

I'm feeling very guilty and would love to read the differing opinions you all have while I wait for her to literally chill out.

I, too, had a Buff Orpington who went broody a few times. I knew I probably should break her, but I honestly felt that if a chicken has an innate desire and compulsion to do something, who am I to stop her? So I let her be broody but fed and watered her in her nest and got her out a few times a day to walk around. That's not going to be a popular view, but it worked for me. Later, when I got chicks from MPC, I put them under her during the night and she was a great mother.

 

[AppleMomma65]

Your 'friend' author of the nasty response apparently knows little about chicken husbandry. Some hens will break naturally. Others will set so long and become so debilitated that they are susceptible to illness and die. Sometimes allowing a hen to raise a clutch will lengthen the period between broody spells. You might try fostering some pullet chicks to her.

@sourland - Thank you. If I could add chicks, I would but my city ordinance only allows me 12 chickens, and I'm at 11. I've updated my post with that info.

 

[CrazyChicken Lady]

I like to say once a broody always a broody, at least that is how it is for me. I have three hens that all go in a ” cycle “ of being broody. Normally I just leave them be, Make sure they are getting water and food and look healthy. They always break on their own. But that is just my birds. Also a determined hen will be very hard to break. Also if trying to break her is making her unwell I would just leave her be, she should break after a month or so. Best of luck!

 

[Mtnboomer]

My birds are livestock not pets. If they are not producing they are consuming and costing me time and money. Broody hens on fertile eggs are encouraged to continue; non fertile eggs would be broken so they go back to providing collectable eggs without fearing fir the safety of my hands.

 

[3KillerBs]

"Broody box/chicken jail" inside the covered run for two days - she's sad, I'm sad. I have let her out to free-range in the evening when it's cooler - which I probably shouldn't have done. When she's out on a short release, she hides from her mates under our front porch. And then --- I find her back in a nest box. So back into "jail" she goes. Her feathers are dull. She does eat and drink, but not much.

Stop letting her out.

To stop the broody behavior you have to make it impossible for her to engage in nesting behavior until her hormones change over from broody mode to normal mode again.

You know in your head that she's perfectly safe and well in her broody jail. She's fed, watered, sheltered, and well-cared for.

You know in your head that if she continues to sit in a futile attempt to hatch infertile eggs she will damage her health.

Allow your head to rule your heart and keep her in the broody breaker for 3-5 days solidly.

 

[AppleMomma65]

Stop letting her out.

To stop the broody behavior you have to make it impossible for her to engage in nesting behavior until her hormones change over from broody mode to normal mode again.

You know in your head that she's perfectly safe and well in her broody jail. She's fed, watered, sheltered, and well-cared for.

You know in your head that if she continues to sit in a futile attempt to hatch infertile eggs she will damage her health.

Allow your head to rule your heart and keep her in the broody breaker for 3-5 days solidly.

@3KillerBs - you are so right - thank you for saying that out loud. She's been in the box for 2 days and I'm hoping one more will break it. The "box" is a wire dog kennel. It's a chore to set up and I'm assuming this won't be the last go for her, and possibly firsts for others in my flock and. Is it okay to just leave this in the run (it's protected from elements)? Do you know if they go broody in cooler/winter months when egg production slows?

 

[3KillerBs]

@3KillerBs - you are so right - thank you for saying that out loud. She's been in the box for 2 days and I'm hoping one more will break it. The "box" is a wire dog kennel. It's a chore to set up and I'm assuming this won't be the last go for her, and possibly firsts for others in my flock and. Is it okay to just leave this in the run (it's protected from elements)? Do you know if they go broody in cooler/winter months when egg production slows?

You're welcome.

Don't be afraid to give her 4 or 5 days before the trial release since she's been so persistent and well-established. I knew that Cordon would need more than the minimum because by the time my work hours and my ability to obtain the dog crate lined up she'd been broody almost long enough to hatch a batch of chicks. It was day 4 when I saw that her behavior had altered -- she wasn't making that broody "ticking" sound anymore and was eating and pooping normally so I released her at dusk and let her go to roost with the flock.

If you've got space in the run to leave the broody breaker there I can't see any harm to it. If you have the door propped open they'll probably use it as a shade structure and perch on it.

I'm not very knowledgeable about when hens can go broody. I know that it's more common in the lengthening days of spring, but I've seen threads here about winter broodies too.

 

[Mtnboomer]

I

You're welcome.

Don't be afraid to give her 4 or 5 days before the trial release since she's been so persistent and well-established. I knew that Cordon would need more than the minimum because by the time my work hours and my ability to obtain the dog crate lined up she'd been broody almost long enough to hatch a batch of chicks. It was day 4 when I saw that her behavior had altered -- she wasn't making that broody "ticking" sound anymore and was eating and pooping normally so I released her at dusk and let her go to roost with the flock.

If you've got space in the run to leave the broody breaker there I can't see any harm to it. If you have the door propped open they'll probably use it as a shade structure and perch on it.

I'm not very knowledgeable about when hens can go broody. I know that it's more common in the lengthening days of spring, but I've seen threads here about winter broodies too.

Dont know if its true across the board (im sure different breeds, age, climates, etc all play their role) but here in the mtns of VA my brahmas tend to go broody btw May and june or sept- oct. Younger birds (1yr or less) seem to prefer the spring while birds older than 1yr go broody at the end of summer early fall. I have on avg 8-14 hens at any given time but only 1 or at the most 2 will go broody during each period.

This is not science, just my observations.