Worried—is this brooding or illness?

[Loosly]

How do you train them not to be broody?

 

[cluckmecoop7]

How do you train them not to be broody?

You can't. But - you can break them.....sometimes.

 

[ValerieJ]

How do you train them not to be broody?

There are various opinions on this here. All I do is take her off the nest and put her on the ground. She complains about it, but will get up and scratch around a bit and go back in. I do this a few times a day for a few days, and for my broody it works. Basically, you are trying to cool her down, and perhaps that works for me because I'm in Washington, and it's usually cool and rainy here.

Some people will put their broody in a dog crate suspended above ground for a couple days with food and water. They set it up on a couple bricks or something, the idea being cooling her abdomen down.

Others yet will put them in a cool bath. When you gave yours a bath she perked up a bit, which was another indicator to me that she was broody. You could try that, but you would need to do it a few days in a row I think.

Good luck! I hope you find a process that works for her!

 

[dgriffi3]

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

Egg binding can be deadly fast and does not sound like the issue here.

In fact... I'm impressed that you noticed the shaking... as most people do not! Great attention to detail.

I bred Silkies for a few years.. most of mine did go broody before a year old... some after only a couple weeks of laying and is the very reason I sold them off.

The strange sound... a little lick cluck cluck? They can make so many funny noises when broody!

If you don't have space or desire for more chicks... breaking her right away is recommended. Sooner is better than later. One of the clues can be the big stinky poos that broody's make... but it's a process (hormones building, digestion slowing) and they get worse once it's fully set in.

If you do want to add chicks... consider adopting her some sexed chicks from your local feed store in a couple weeks... this helps prevent dealing with roosters if that isn't your thing, while still allowing her hearts desire.

That being said... she WILL be broody again. You can always break her and plan for another time.

Whatever you do... DON'T think she will snap out of it on her own. That generally doesn't happen and they lose condition while sitting. Consider feeding a flock raiser or grower with oyster shell on the side instead of layer if that's what you currently use. Silkies will do better with MORE amino acid content.

Pics always welcome!

ETA: Broody hens are anything but kid friendly IMO. The chicks they raise will also most likely be taught to avoid you and are *usually* less people friendly than those you raise yourself.

Thank you, this is all so helpful! Will the other hens accept new chicks if she is guarding them? Adding 2 or 3 could be fun if they’d be safe.
I need to read up on how to break a broody hen. Poor girl, she’s barely more than a baby herself!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Thank you, this is all so helpful! Will the other hens accept new chicks if she is guarding them? Adding 2 or 3 could be fun if they’d be safe.
I need to read up on how to break a broody hen. Poor girl, she’s barely more than a baby herself!

If she's a good mama she should protect her chicks from other adults, while also teaching them how to interact with them. If you are going to hatch, make sure to plan to get supplies such as chick starter in advance, and I'd suggest having a plan/materials for a brooder on hand as well, in case she cannot take care of the babies and you have to take over for her. Better to be prepared than scrambling for supplies at the last moment.

If you decide you do not want to hatch right now, I would break her with a broody breaking cage rather than have her sit and make the effort of hatching for no reward.

 

[aart]

Big Block of Broody Notes...Maybe TMI:

Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.


When I have a broody I wait until she's been in the nest most the day and all night for 2-3 days...along with those other signs I posted.

Then I put her in the broody enclosure with fake eggs in the floor nest, she won't like being moved, but if she is truly good and broody she will settle onto the new nest within a half a day.
Then I give her fresh fertile eggs and mark the calendar.

I like them separated by wire from the flock, it's just easier all around.
No having to mark eggs and remove any additions daily, no taking up a laying nest, no going back to the wrong nest after the daily constitutional.



You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? Both for more chickens and she may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It's a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random. https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/broody-hen-thread.496101/


If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(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. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[Mixed flock enthusiast]

Hi there, hope you are enjoying BYC!

Egg binding can be deadly fast and does not sound like the issue here.

In fact... I'm impressed that you noticed the shaking... as most people do not! Great attention to detail.

I bred Silkies for a few years.. most of mine did go broody before a year old... some after only a couple weeks of laying and is the very reason I sold them off.

The strange sound... a little lick cluck cluck? They can make so many funny noises when broody!

If you don't have space or desire for more chicks... breaking her right away is recommended. Sooner is better than later. One of the clues can be the big stinky poos that broody's make... but it's a process (hormones building, digestion slowing) and they get worse once it's fully set in.

If you do want to add chicks... consider adopting her some sexed chicks from your local feed store in a couple weeks... this helps prevent dealing with roosters if that isn't your thing, while still allowing her hearts desire.

That being said... she WILL be broody again. You can always break her and plan for another time.

Whatever you do... DON'T think she will snap out of it on her own. That generally doesn't happen and they lose condition while sitting. Consider feeding a flock raiser or grower with oyster shell on the side instead of layer if that's what you currently use. Silkies will do better with MORE amino acid content.

Pics always welcome!

ETA: Broody hens are anything but kid friendly IMO. The chicks they raise will also most likely be taught to avoid you and are *usually* less people friendly than those you raise yourself.

I’m with you - that silkie broodiness!!! We have several broody breeds but the silky takes the cake! We left it too long last summer - didn’t break her broodiness fast enough and then she wouldn’t break. Also wouldn’t eat or drink... She was like a broody robot. We gave her eggs that failed to hatch and then finally got her chicks that she willingly adopted. She was so so thin, just skin and bones by then. Now we watch for her to go broody (happens every 6-8 weeks) and promptly place her in a broody breaker cage as soon as she stops laying eggs (she has a few days where she’s starting to go broody and still laying eggs).