what is broody like

[tomfromsc]

Hi ....This may sound like a dumb question ....BUT.. being new at this chicken raising I need to ask .. I want to let one of my hens go broody Sooo......how do I know if she is broody ? what signs do I look for ? how will I know to leave her eggs alone... I have 4 hens and 1 rooster all Brahmas

 

[ChickenCanoe]

You can't make a hen go broody but your breed is inclined to be a setter.
You'll know if she stays in the nest around the clock for a couple days and gets cranky if you disturb her.

 

[Chicken Boy 101]

Your hen will sit on her eggs and if you try to take them she'll peck you.

 

[BYCforlife]

Most of the time a broody hen will be sitting with her head very low in a nesting box, and she puffs up her feathers or "growls" if you touch her.

 

[BYCforlife]

P.S. you need to watch this, speaking of questions.

 

[chuckachucka]

Hens either go broody or they don't and it's up to you to leave them to it or try to break them. A hen that is going broody will usually lay quite a few eggs first and then start spending more time sitting around in the nest, even if you remove the eggs. She will find her favourite nest spot and sit on it for hours at a time for a couple of days until her egg production stops and she starts displaying signs of the hormonal changes. At this point if you or another hen moves toward her she will puff up her feathers and possibly peck at your hand and give a warning growl. The way she sits on the nest will be more flattened than when egg laying.

The best way imo is to collect her eggs every day as normal and not refigerate them. Keep them fat side up in a cool place away from draughts or intense heat or cold and mark them with pencil to show the dates. Wait til you have as many as you would like to hatch, say 12, then every day when she lays another one, put it in with the 12 and bump out the first one to eat or whatever. Eat the oldest one, save the newest.

Then once she has been sitting and puffing up for a couple of days, put the eggs under her at night and keep an eye on her.
A broody will usually get off the nest only once a day for up to half an hour.

 

[Xlcandylx]

My black hen tried to brood when we got the freezing temperatures. You can tell when she is brooding. If you watch them you can see the hen going into the coop alot more than the others and she won't stay too far from the coop. I had a red hen that didn't like me taking her eggs but she never set on them. My black hen gathered up all the eggs around her and stick them under her. I pulled one egg out and placed it in front of her and she pushed it back under her. She would of been a good mommy but with the freezing weather the eggs froze.

 

[chuckachucka]

By the way, when I said a broody hen might try to peck you and growl at you, sometimes that is an UNDERSTATEMENT. One of my hens turns into a demon when broody and will bite me and hang on to my skin if I dare to disturb her!

Also forgot to mention, when they do leave the nest, they act a bit crazy. They walk around puffed up with their wings out and seem to be extra nervous and wary of the other chickens. The same broody who bites me has a habit of running out of the coop screeching like a banshee for no reason for her daily poop and leg stretch.

 

[tomfromsc]

Thanks so much everyone ,that will be a big help

 

[sourland]

Good advice from @chuckachucka about holding eggs for incubation. Moderate temp., moderate humidity, turn daily, set the freshest = as many as she can effectively cover. Hopefully one of your hens will go broody.