Will broody pullets still lay?

[aart]

I don't mind her being broody but if it's bad for her in some way I'll stop it.

Not good for them to sit brooding if you're not going to give them egg to hatch, best to break them sooner rather than later. The longer you let them set, the longer it may take to break them.

hormonal abyss

BTDT.....and I ain't talking about chickens!

 

[jwyles]

Allowing a hen to stay broody sends her deeper into the hormonal abyss. Generally, being broody costs a lot in terms of physical condition to the bird. So, the sooner you break her, the easier, and also better for her overall health.

Thanks! So how do I stop her from being broody?

 

[lazy gardener]

I have a PBR pullet who is dancing around with the idea of being broody. I go out late afternoon, and she's hunkered down in the nest. Give her the benefit of the doubt... tonight, well after dark, there she sits, Had to come in and put on my suit of body armor to move her from nest to perch. If she continues with such foolishness tomorrow, she's gonna be spending time in the tractor. Why can't they go broody in the spring... when I would have actually allowed her to set a clutch of eggs. Now? Mid October? Snow will be flying any time soon, and I'm doing subtraction, not addition with my chicken math this time of year!

 

[lazy gardener]

You have to keep her from getting comfy in any kind of situation that provides nesting material, or even a solid floor. Most folks use a wire bottom cage held up off the floor. Put broody in cage with food and water, no bedding. Let her out to stretch her legs now and then. If she heads for a nest box, stick her back in the "broody buster". Repeat DILIGENTLY until she gives up the notion of sitting on a nest. I put the broody in a tractor during the day. Let her out at night and see to it that she is in coop, on a roost, and ALL the nest boxes are closed off. In the morning, I feed the birds and open the nest boxes. If she goes back to the nest, I snag her, toss her back into the tractor with her daily ration of feed and water, and a friend. Keep repeating till she no longer goes to nest.

 

[aart]

Thanks! So how do I stop her from being broody?

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.

Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.

 

[jwyles]

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.

Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.

I actually have a separate area of my coop set aside for when I introduce new chicks (in the future). I'll put hr in there. Will that work? I kind of feel bad for not letting her do her thing is that weird?

 

[aart]

I actually have a separate area of my coop set aside for when I introduce new chicks (in the future). I'll put hr in there. Will that work? I kind of feel bad for not letting her do her thing is that weird?

I think it's best to leave them within sight of the flock. Let them out for a stretch just before roost time. If they go to nest, back in the crate; if they go to roost probably broody is broken.

Not weird.....they won't like being taken off the nest or confined;
but they'll get over it, so be strong and don't give in!

 

[jwyles]

I think it's best to leave them within sight of the flock. Let them out for a stretch just before roost time. If they go to nest, back in the crate; if they go to roost probably broody is broken.

Not weird.....they won't like being taken off the nest or confined;
but they'll get over it, so be strong and don't give in!

Ok. I'll get to work on it tomorrow. Do they usually begin to lay as soon as they are "un-broody" (for lack of better word)? Thanks for the help!

 

[aart]

Ok. I'll get to work on it tomorrow. Do they usually begin to lay as soon as they are "un-broody" (for lack of better word)? Thanks for the help!

The sooner you break the broody hormonal flow(3 days in) the sooner they will break and the sooner they will go back to laying. But there are many factors, individual bird, time of year(day length), some will molt after being broody. They'll lay again when they do, impossible to predict. Tho her being young might help speed the return to lay.

 

[st4rgut]

How many days into her broodiness did you find the eggs? The reason I ask is that when I first catch broody signals from my hen (extended periods of sitting in the nesting box for instance) she will lay eggs for a couple days before going into full broody mode. However, once she starts sitting in the nesting box the entire day, she would have stopped laying.