Topic of the Week - Broody hens

[karenerwin]

I do leave my broody and babies in the same area. The way my set up is in 1 coop I can close a screen door and separate momma and babies, which I did for about a week. Then I left the screen door open and didn't have any problems. In a different coop I didn't do anything to separate momma and babies from the rest of the flock. I didn't have any problems with them at all. I put out chick starter or broiler crumble and try to position it inside a wire cage that the chicks can enter but that the larger birds can't get in. That seems to work well.
Also, momma was able to take the chicks outside whenever she felt it was time. I think she waited a week or 10 days. Before that they just wandered all over the 10 x 10 coop.

I agree with the previous posters in regard to determining when a broody is serious. Mine would peck at me and get angry if/when I took eggs out from under her. She also stayed on the nest almost 24/7. She would get off for about 15 minutes a day. I do want to set up a better setup so that the other hens can't lay their egg(s) in with the broody. I had that happen a lot and unfortunately took out the wrong egg(s) a couple of times, even after I had marked them! Even the permanent marker disappeared on a couple.

 

[Ren2014]

Broody hen hatches is probably my favourite part of chicken keeping. But with this wonderful, natural event there are potential problems and questions and dilemmas for chicken owners too. This week I would like to hear you all's thoughts on everything broody hen. Specifically:

- How can you tell a hen is committed (really broody)? When she doesn't get off her nest, fluffs herself up and spreads out over her nest. Most importantly when she gives you the stink eye if you dare reach in, lol.


- What is the best/quickest way to break broodiness?
Small cage with food and water, wire bottom so the air can get up under her. Only takes a couple of days.
- Is there an "ideal" number of eggs to give a hen to hatch? My ideal is 6 to 10, depending on her size.
- How do you best take care of a broody and her nest? Make sure she has food and water nearby and is safe from all predators. Just before hatching I move her to a separate pen and house.
- What to do once the chicks hatched? Make sure she shows them how to eat and drink. I keep them separate from the flock for several days.
- Can/should you let a hen raise her chicks in with the rest of the flock? Yes, this is so much easier than having to integrate new chicks into a flock.
- What do you feed a broody hen and chicks? Chick starter.

 

[amynrichie]

Broody hen hatches is probably my favourite part of chicken keeping. But with this wonderful, natural event there are potential problems and questions and dilemmas for chicken owners too. This week I would like to hear you all's thoughts on everything broody hen. Specifically:

- How can you tell a hen is committed (really broody)?
When she runs back to the nest every chance she gets, and steals all the eggs the other hens lay. At this time, she'll stay on the nest at night instead of roosting. When I can move her off the nest multiple days in a row and she still goes back,I know she's committed. My broody grumbles a bit when I reach under her, but she is not birdzilla.
- What is the best/quickest way to break broodiness?
When I want to break her, I lock her out of the hen house in a separate pen each day, and put her on the roost each night. This takes 2-3 days, depending on how long she's been broody before I catch her. I don't like the crate/cage method. I just feel like a crate small enough to elevate is too small of a space
- Is there an "ideal" number of eggs to give a hen to hatch?
I have a large fowl Cochin. I have not tried a full dozen eggs, but she has done really well with a brood size of 7-8.
- How do you best take care of a broody and her nest?
I have to keep the other hens out of her nest to avoid egg swapping and breaking. When she's committed and I'm ready for her to raise some, I move the extra large dog crate into the coop and let her start the brood there.
- What to do once the chicks hatched?
Mom and chicks eat Flock Raiser. They stay in their dog crate in the main coop for 5-7 days. Shortly after that, she is ready to take them outside. Then I let her decide where in the coop to sleep.
- Can/should you let a hen raise her chicks in with the rest of the flock?
It may not always work, but it makes integration so much easier. My mistake this year was letting her brood back to back. The first brood was 8 weeks old and she never kicked them off. She laid eggs with her 11 week old babies in the nest with her, and went broody again after 3 eggs. I gave her an incubator hatch when the first brood was 12 weeks old. This brood interfered somewhat with her raising of the next brood. I had to move broody to a completely different pen for a while so they could "cut the cord."
The hardest part is keeping duck water available that the chicks can't get in to. Free ranging the ducks helps here, as well as keeping the pool a longer distance from the coop.
- What do you feed a broody hen and chicks?
Mom, babies, turkeys, and ducks all get flock raiser. It's just easier to feed that to everybody and put oyster shell out on the side.

 

[sus9441]

- How can you tell a hen is committed (really broody)?
Depending on your hen's personality they may peck you if you bring your hen close to her, but generally, they would sit in their nest for the whole day and if you try to dig them out,they will puff up and scream (which is sooo cute!). Even if you take them out of the nest, they will do their business really quickly (eating a bit, fluffing themselves, drinking water, stretching and defecating a really large blob of poop

) and quickly race back to sit at their nest again.

- What is the best/quickest way to break broodiness?
I read on the internet that you could put ice underneath where they sit to make them uncomfortable, so I tried putting ice cubes on and underneath my hen but it didn't work... haha... so i gave up.. i just take her outside at least once a day so she can eat, drink and do a bit of exercise

- Is there an "ideal" number of eggs to give a hen to hatch?
depends on how many you want and how many eggs then hen can sit... when i noticed my hen started to become broody when she had around 6 eggs (i'm not saying your hen will definitely be broody with unhatched eggs, it really depends on your hen's preference~)
surprisingly, my hen (can be considered as light breed) was able to sit on 10 eggs and hatch them all XD

- How do you best take care of a broody and her nest?
regularly clean nest, annoy her my removing her out of the nest at least 1-2 times a day (or else muscle disuse!!), give fresh/clean water, food too

- What to do once the chicks hatched?
i let them rest and dry themselves using their mother's heat, and then give them water and food to eat <- that is what you're supposed to do but when i offered food and water to the first ones that hatched they didn't seem that interested in the food at first... so technically i took individual profile pictures of them hahah while I waited for all the other ones to hatch (+/- 24 hours) then i moved them inside my house with the hen (since it was winter during that time and was pretty cold) with fresh water supply and chick starter pack/feed

- Can/should you let a hen raise her chicks in with the rest of the flock?
depends on the environment - like is there a lot of predators (hawks, eagles, rats - yes rats will attack baby chickens!), and whether other members of the flock welcome newcomers... like i ended up separating them into two flocks as the roosters wasn't ready to the accept the babies

i had always wanted to see chicks following their mum..

- What do you feed a broody hen and chicks?
broody hen - pellets, seeds (she loves sunflower seeds), corn, broccoli

chicks - there are chick feed which are essentially those premade that contains essential nutrients in suitable size for chicks, i also feed them broccoli flowers (after boiling so it is soft)... after a few weeks old you can start feeding them seeds, kumara (they love this), and rice/bread (but remember this needs to be in moderate amount!)

Some pics to share

 

[Nardo]

They'd carry her around and set her down somewhere, she'd head back to the nest. Typical toddlers, they thought this was a great game. Vidalia finally got tired of it and decided being broody wasn't worth it. So if you have a chicken good-natured enough not to peck a child, having a toddler repeatedly haul her off the nest will break her of being broody!

LOl can we borrow your niece and nephew-we'll pay them for doing "break the broody hen" duty.

 

[Nardo]

Hi we had 2 hens , both of them stop laying eggs, but not helping for the breading, please advise me how can I make them for breading. Thank you

HI,

I think you are asking about how to breed chickens so that they raise baby chicks?
Go to this forum and you may find what you need:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/800417/chicken-mating-thread

 

[RezChamp]

Broody hen hatches is probably my favourite part of chicken keeping. But with this wonderful, natural event there are potential problems and questions and dilemmas for chicken owners too. This week I would like to hear you all's thoughts on everything broody hen. Specifically:

- How can you tell a hen is committed (really broody)?
- What is the best/quickest way to break broodiness?
- Is there an "ideal" number of eggs to give a hen to hatch?
- How do you best take care of a broody and her nest?
- What to do once the chicks hatched?
- Can/should you let a hen raise her chicks in with the rest of the flock?
- What do you feed a broody hen and chicks?

A's in order of Q's
-When I am gathering eggs and not only does she refuse to get off the nest she "chirrs" and pecks my hands.
-Soup.
-Whatever she looks like she can cover.
-Leave her be.
-Just be around so they don't go feral.
The mama hen usually introduces her babies when she thinks they're ready.
Supplement their typical diet of insects, seeds and flora (& whatever) with grains, fruits and veggies and of course lots of fresh water in daily cleaned waterers.

In short I have a tendancy to let Nature take its course. I figure there ain't no real wisdom in messing with perfection.

 

[Ryan Gregerson]

How do you make a broody gen not broody.

 

[10AcreChick]

I have an Easter Egger pullet who had just started laying eggs when she went broody. She probably had only laid a couple eggs. I keep wooden eggs in all nests to discourage the hens from using just one nest. When she went broody, I looked under her and all she had was one wooden egg! Pfft! I figured she would stop after a few days, she didn't seem like she knew what she was doing, hadn't even plucked her chest feathers. She went on for like three weeks! Then one night when I picked her up and put her on the roost, she actually stayed there and the next day went out with the others.
I have Buff Orpingtons and just one Buff rooster. If they go broody, I figure I'll just move them and some Buff eggs to floor of coop and let them go at it. Planning on raising Buffs for meat, so that's just free incubation for me!

 

[AriadneCastro]

I'm very interested in this subject. Commenting to subscribe.