What Should I Do With My Broody Hen?

[TheAlarmCluck]

I have an English Orpington that was broody for a few days. I did some research and gave her golf balls to sit on. On her 6th day of broodiness, we built a small "broody house" next to the main coop. It was around 3 x 1.5 feet and had a small run with food and water. I also used a nesting box similar to the one she was used to. I transplanted the hay so she would be comfortable. We moved her under cover of darkness and placed her in the nest with the same golf balls. She seemed comfortable and she stayed on the "eggs", so we called it a night and went inside.

However, the next morning, when she came out to drink and eat, she wouldn't go back inside. She seemed confused and was trying to find a way back to the main coop. After about an hour of trying to make her go back in, I picked her up and placed her in the nest again. However, she didn't sit down and just stood waiting next to the door.

An hour later, we came back and she still wasn't nesting. I opened the door and she came out to drink and eat once again. After about five minutes, I realized she wasn't going back into the nest. She was trying to go to the other chickens in the main coop. Thinking that she wasn't broody anymore, I dejectedly brought her back to the main coop. But as soon as she went inside, she walked over to her original nest and started brooding again.

I don't want her to brood inside the main coop, as the other chickens bully her sometimes. Does anyone have suggestions? Thank you for any help.

 

[Party_Chicken]

Are you going to have her hatch out some eggs or is she just going to sit on golf balls for 21 days?

 

[TheAlarmCluck]

Are you going to have her hatch out some eggs or is she just going to sit on golf balls for 21 days?

We bought fertile eggs online and she is going to hatch a dozen.

 

[Party_Chicken]

We bought fertile eggs online and she is going to hatch a dozen.

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Try again with moving her at night. This time, don't allow her to leave the coop. If possible, keep the coop moderately dark so she can't see well enough to know she's in a new place. Keep both her feed and water in the coop. After three days of her setting, you can allow her outside if you would like. If all goes successfully, then I say you can switch the gulf balls with real eggs by day 4 or 5. Personally, I suggest keeping her in the coop until the chicks hatch. That alone might eliminate her trying to get back to her old nest.

 

[Party_Chicken]

Dose the broody house have a door? If it dose move her in at night and see if she will sit then.

 

[TheAlarmCluck]

@Party_Chicken @Lacy Duckwing
Thanks for the tips! I think she is uncomfortable with the new house, because she doesn't like being far away from the other chickens. We built another temporary one in the back of the chicken coop. We sectioned off a part of the shed and we are planning to move her there with the nest at night (She is extremely attached to her nest and hates any other spot). The other coop I made previously will be perfect for the chicks to play in once they hatch!

 

[ravensravelry]

I have an English Orpington that was broody for a few days. I did some research and gave her golf balls to sit on. On her 6th day of broodiness, we built a small "broody house" next to the main coop. It was around 3 x 1.5 feet and had a small run with food and water. I also used a nesting box similar to the one she was used to. I transplanted the hay so she would be comfortable. We moved her under cover of darkness and placed her in the nest with the same golf balls. She seemed comfortable and she stayed on the "eggs", so we called it a night and went inside.

However, the next morning, when she came out to drink and eat, she wouldn't go back inside. She seemed confused and was trying to find a way back to the main coop. After about an hour of trying to make her go back in, I picked her up and placed her in the nest again. However, she didn't sit down and just stood waiting next to the door.

An hour later, we came back and she still wasn't nesting. I opened the door and she came out to drink and eat once again. After about five minutes, I realized she wasn't going back into the nest. She was trying to go to the other chickens in the main coop. Thinking that she wasn't broody anymore, I dejectedly brought her back to the main coop. But as soon as she went inside, she walked over to her original nest and started brooding again.

I don't want her to brood inside the main coop, as the other chickens bully her sometimes. Does anyone have suggestions? Thank you for any help.

Hello! If I'm not mistaken broody hens get just as attached to their nesting site as they do their clutch of eggs. If you were to leave her in the main coop to sit on the eggs, would she be bullied off of her nest by the other chickens? If not, personally I would leave her in there to hatch and remove the chicks as necessary, but that's just me. My main concern with moving her would be potentially "breaking" her broodiness.

 

[Acre4Me]

Tricky sometimes. All good suggestions above. We have had success and failure moving a broody. Depends on the hen. Darkness, and familiarity are key. Moving at night and keeping the area darker/low light will help. Good luck.

 

[TheAlarmCluck]

Hello! If I'm not mistaken broody hens get just as attached to their nesting site as they do their clutch of eggs. If you were to leave her in the main coop to sit on the eggs, would she be bullied off of her nest by the other chickens? If not, personally I would leave her in there to hatch and remove the chicks as necessary, but that's just me. My main concern with moving her would be potentially "breaking" her broodiness.

Thanks for the advice. I decided to move her to just a sectioned off area of the main coop so she will be familiar with it. She can't stay in the main nest because the other chickens try to take the nesting spot and often bully her to do so (she chose the "favorite" nesting spot to brood in). I'm not worried that her broodiness will break. I've bothered her a lot with moving and building and changing her eggs, but she is still as broody as ever.