Trying to make a chicken broody! Help!

[Krosfyre9838]

Keep in mind also, a broody has to go 3 weeks with barely any food so they store up some fat to carry them through those 3 weeks. If her body is not prepared, she may give up part way through the brooding period.

Does she have to go without food? I have a bowl next to her nest.

 

[Krosfyre9838]

Broodiness is driven by hormones, you can't control it. If you lock up a hen on a nest and she goes broody, it's because she was ready to go broody anyway, not because you locked her up. That's why it "worked" with one hen and not with another. That hen would have gone broody on her own, whether you locked her up or not.

I like to think that she was ready and the only reason she didn't because they all compete over the one nest.... But separating her from the other hens the conditions better for her to do her thing.

Also I agree that the other hen wasn't ready or interested, she just wanted the heck out of the nest box. She was squawking and flapping like I had killed her.

 

[McChooky]

Does she have to go without food? I have a bowl next to her nest.

Bad wording sorry! They don't eat or drink as frequently when broody.

 

[BDutch]

Does she have to go without food? I have a bowl next to her nest.

Adding to McChoocky:
The best broodies go of the nest once a day to eat a lot in a short time, to dustbath for a few minutes , to produce a huge poop and to have a short exercise. They return to the nest again within 45 minutes.

People often think their broodies stay on the nest the whole day / period but they cant of course. Many people take the broody of the nest once a day, if they havent seen /seen any signs that the broody left the nest and are sure she didnt do so recently. This doesn’t hurt the breeding proces if you give her the chance to return immediately.

Different broodies do things differently. Some broodies just take a 10 minute break and only eat and poop. Some stay on the nest for two days before they feel the urge to take a break.

 

[Krosfyre9838]

I noticed some huge poops in her little nest box/coop

 

[Krosfyre9838]

I dont like keeping her locked up, but I'm afraid if I take her out of isolation the other girls will bully her out of the nest.

 

[BDutch]

I dont like keeping her locked up, but I'm afraid if I take her out of isolation the other girls will bully her out of the nest.

Who said to lock her up in a nestbox? Thats stupid imho.

Maybe you are not ready for this event?. Don’t be afraid. Watch, see and act after things (almost) go wrong.

Leave the choices to your hens. Or give her a separate coop with run to brood quietly (maybe a prefab).

 

[Krosfyre9838]

Who said to lock her up in a nestbox? Thats stupid imho.

Maybe you are not ready for this event?. Don’t be afraid. Watch, see and act after things (almost) go wrong.

Leave the choices to your hens. Or give her a separate coop with run to brood quietly (maybe a prefab).

This is a small coop for two chickens, it doesn't have a run. But she's in a 4'x5' 3' high box with a roost.

 

[BDutch]

This is a small coop for two chickens, it doesn't have a run. But she's in a 4'x5' 3' high box with a roost.

Inside space is okay. But outside space is important too. Do you let her free range and take a dust bath when she pleases?

 

[Krosfyre9838]

Inside space is okay. But outside space is important too. Do you let her free range and take a dust bath when she pleases?

My reply didn't go through yesterday evening. But normally she does free range, I don't keep them locked up usually.

So, I opened up her nest house to give her the choice. She got up off the nest, stretched, ruffled her feathers, took the biggest dump of her life then went off to forage.

But when I gave her the choice she didn't return to the nest after foraging, she stayed off it all noon and evening. When evening came she didn't return to the nest, she roosted with her flock instead of taking care of the eggs.

I candled the eggs, they are starting to develop. I threw them in the incubator over night. Should I try again? With her closed in she didn't want to leave the eggs, and she wouldn't let me touch them.

I know broodiness is a hormone thing.... But I figure with all things in life you have to learn and practice makes perfect.... Are there tactics to teach a hen to be a better mother?