Mrs Boss is broody. How to stop a hen being broody
Comments(110)
Mrs Boss is one of the original bantams that we bought three years ago. A bantam is a breed of small chicken. As you can see from the photo she is white with pretty black and white feathers around her neck. She reminds me of the portraits of English cavaliers sitting so proud in their lace collars. She also has feathered feet.
When she arrived she was boss, ticking the other hens off if they stepped out of line. But gradually the others fought back and now her demotion is final. She is right at bottom of the pecking order and has a tough time.
Mrs Boss is broody at the moment. This means, as Danny says, “She’s in the mood to raise a brood”. Bantams have a natural tendency for broodiness but this has become a life mission for Mrs Boss. In a way it’s understandable. She can sit in the dark gloom of the nesting box away from the pecking and bullying. The only problem is that if a hen is broody, she does not lay eggs, and Mrs Boss’s small white eggs are the sweetest of them all.
How to stop a hen being broody is fairly simple. If you can prevent her from settling comfortably, she will stop being broody within a week or so. Some hens are fine again after thee days in the broody coop; Mrs Boss is a long termer. The trick is to construct a cage with a floor made of large wire mesh (at least 1″ squares). Put the cage on bricks so that the floor is suspended, keeping the bricks to the outside edges so that she can’t sit on them. Find instructions for making your own broody coup here. Provide a small drinking fountain and feeder within the cage and pop her in. She will not be able to settle comfortably on the wire mesh floor and within a few days will get over her broodiness.
Mrs Boss hates the broody coop. When we give the other hens treats, such as corn or kitchen scraps, she leaps up and down in her cage in a fury of frustration and rage until she’s given her share. When she has served her time and is released, the first thing that she does is have a long luxurious dust bath.
Tips and tricks:
- When a hen is broody, the comb on the top of her head changes colour from red to pink. Check the colour of her comb every day when she is in the broody coop. When the comb is red she can be let out of prison and will not immediately return to the nesting box, except to lay an egg. It took me ages to work this out.
- If you have a broody hen and don’t want to go down the broody coop path, she will probably remain broody for the entire summer. Every morning and evening, it’s vital to lift her out of the nesting box, or wherever she has settled, so that she can eat and drink. Broody hens can starve to death if ignored.
Online vouchers give you a discount at loads of shopping sites, like Tesco, Argos, Mothercare and lots of other online stores. Do not pass up this opportunity to keep costs down. Fantastic discounts! Click here now
Apricot and peach jam recipe
How to cook puffballs recipe
Examine your tools carefully before you proceed
Heather Espley on 
tom claydon on 
fn on 
gracie on 
Suky on 
Zoe on 
Derek Nua on 
Odelle on 
[...] I am thrilled to announce that Mrs Boss, the broody hen at The Cottage Smallholder website has successfully hatched at least 3 of the 6 guinea fowl eggs that I sent in the post to them four weeks ago. [...]
one of my welsomers was broody when I went on holiday some five weeks ago, my son locked her out of the nesting box which she had taken over completelym for 3 days.When I came back, I let her back in the nesting box and she immediately went back to being broody. I have now put her in a seperate box with a small run on the garden,she can see the other hens, but will not come out, I have to lift her out and she barely drinks or eats!The other hens have started to lay again (thank goodness), what will I do now with my broody hen (she was getting terribly bullied and pecked by the others).
Hi Kattim,
The only way to stop your hen being broody is to put her in an anti broody cage. These are easily (under an hour) and cheaply constructed. I have found that they work well. Our latest broody hen spent 2 days in the coop and was no longer broody. Mrs Boss takes a bit longer to turn the corner. You can find our free anti broody coup plans here – http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=289
The longer that you leave a broody hen to brood the harder it is to break the condition. If you leave her she could remain broody for the rest of the summer.
I have noticed that the broody hens are often at the bottom of the pecking order. Perhaps the two are related?
Hi i have a 28wk old silver sussex who is becomming obsessed with the nest box. She used to take roughly an hour to lay an egg but over the last week she is staying in there for hours at a time even though there are no eggs under her, she flattens her self out and wont budge ( she has continued to lay and her comb is still red)do you think she is broody or is it unlikely to be this at we are almost into december. Please help
Hi Kelly,
The flattening indicates to me that your hen is going broody. Whether there are eggs underneath her is irrelevant. Hens can go broody at any time of year.
We have plans for a simple inexpensive anti broody coup here http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=289
We have had good results with ours. A couple of days might be enough for your hen.
thanks for the reply, do broody hens still lay? as the obsession with the nest box makes me think she is going broody, however the eggs are still coming, the comb is still bright red and she doesnt shout at me when i go near her! I may well try the broody coop but if i was to leave her do they ever come out of it themselves if i keep removing the eggs?
Thanks
Kelly :O)
Hi Kelly,
It’s very difficult to give advice long distance. I have had a broody hen who laid an egg in the anti broody coup. Try lifting her off the nest and putting her on the ground outside the hen house. If she returns quickly to the nesting box she is probably going broody. If she is going broody she will eventually stop laying and her comb will go pink.
We tried leaving a broody hen alone one summer. She was broody for months. This is a palaver as she will put the other hens off lay and you have to lift her off the nest at least twice a day so that she will eat and drink.
I like your blog very much
Hope you keep on posting great stuff
regards, jenna
ps – I just randomly picked one of your posts to say this
Hi Jenna
Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment!
got your site from sallygardens, my partridge silkie is determined……golf balls are fair game. however as my hens are pets no bother, she is lifted out each day and stays out for ages eatin and drinking, and is happy and well. No eggs so no bother, i only have 6 hens and they are rescues and have laid on and off all winter, and now are great, Let biddy blue(silkie) have her natural way, will mind her anyway.
Hello Caths
Great to hear about Biddy Blue. She may start laying when the wether gets a bit warmer. Meanwhile if she gets broody, set her on some fertile eggs. Silkies make great mothers.
Hi!
I read your post a few days ago when I did a search for broody hens on google. I have recently got into having backyard chickens, and over the weekend one of them went broody. I put her in a large wire dog kennel set up on a pallet so air can circulate and gave her food and water. I had to put the crate inside of the chicken shed because of safety issues, so she really is not getting any sunlight at all. Is that bad? I put her in the crate 4 days ago and she still wants to get back in the nest when I let her out to stretch. How long does it take for her to stop being broody. She is a Buff Orp, by the way. Thanks.
Hi Amy
The dog cage needs to be lifted along the edges so that the cage is suspended about an inch above the pallet. Then the hen has to work hard to stand and can’t settle. What you are trying to avoid is the hen being able to relax and really get into being broody.
It make take a few days for your hen to get out of being broody – Mrs Boss can take up to 7 days.
Ideally the crate should be outside as the darkness of the shed will encourage broodiness but the main thing is to raise the cage so she doesn’t feel comfortable. Perhaps the mesh is too small?
Hi,I found this discussion really interesting, but am now very worried. I have 20 exbats that we collected about 4 weeks ago. For the first 2 weeks we were getting 6-12 eggs a day but for the last 2 weeks only 1 or 2 and some of those have been from my elderly bantams I had already. I thought to myself yesterday that the combs were a bit dull, dusky pink, looking, although they have never really been bright red. Could all 20 be broody or could they just be settling in to their new life?
Thanks Lisa
Hi Lisa
Your ex battery hens will need time to settle. Their entire world has changed dramatically! Also our weather has been a bit crazy too and this will effect them.
I’m no expert and I have no experience with ex battery hens but I doubt that all 20 could be going broody at once. Battery hens are layers with a tendency not to go broody (although a few will).
Give them lots of greens and layers pellets. In a few weeks time they will have settled in completely. Do you have a cockerel? If so this would have an effect on the hens too.
Perhaps someone with experience of ex battery hens will read your comment and respond.
Meanwhile, I’d love to hear how you get on.
Hi,
We have 2 hens – a Maran and a Fayoumi – we got them late last autumn and they settled in to the garden well, starting laying in December and January. Unfortunately (for us) the Maran has now gone broody…
For the last few days we’ve kept her out of the nest box as much as possible and, as we’d been led to expect, she is being stubborn and is simply sitting as near to the box as she can get. She is still eating and drinking and seems fine in herself when we force her to get up, if a little grumpy with us! We’re now going to move to a broody box but have a couple of questions I hope someone will be able to answer…
Firstly, she has stopped laying – I presume this is normal? (The Fayoumi’s laying has also slowed, I guess because her routine has been disrupted). The Maran has also lost some feathers from her chest – again, I assume this is a normal ’side effect’?
And finally, when we put her in the box should we leave her there 24 hrs a day? We don’t have anywhere obvious to put the box indoors overnight but if she’s to stay in there I’m not sure it’s safe to leave it out – I imagine she’ll get cold, not to mention the risk of predators… I’m also concerned that the Fayoumi will be upset being on her own at night… Actually, could we put her in the box at night too?
Thanks!
Tessa
Hi Tessa and James
When a hen goes broody she stops laying and she will put other hens off laying too.
Losing feathers from her chest is another (rarer) sign of broodiness. She is plucking them to line a nest.
The broody box is designed to be a short, sharp shock to the hen. She will be unhappy being broody without eggs, so a method that gets her out of the state as quickly as possible is the kindest way to go.
She needs to be in the anti broody coop 24hrs a day, for at least 3 days. Her comb will go red when she is ready to be released. If she is at risk being left in the anti broody coop overnight, you could move it onto your kitchen/ garage/shed for the night. You could put the other one in the box for the night too.
The main thing is to remember to give your broody every chance of getting out of the broody state asap.
Don’t forget to give her access to food and drink 24 hours a day.
I’d really be interested to here how this works out for you all!
Hi,
I have a Barnvelder and a Brahma, they both went broody about five weeks ago. I kept lifting them out of the nesting boxes during the day only allowing them back in from about 3pm. I tried dunking both their rear ends in water a couple of times a day. I kept this up for about a week. Nothing worked. On Wednesday I came across your site, from Google, absolutely superb, thank you. My husband has now made a broody cage as per your instructions. They went in it yesterday. Needless to say they absolutely hate it.
I notice that you say that the longer hens have been allowed to stay broody the longer it will take to break them. ( I naively thought that they would only stay broody for about three weeks!) Given the five weeks they were broody, do you have any idea how long it’s likely to take? The Barnvelder’s comb has been red all the time, although she stopped laying immediately. The Brahma’s, I would say, is pale red.
Looking forward to hearing from you and thanks so much.
Jane
Hello Jane
Don’t worry they will not have to spend weeks in the anti broody coup!
When I have let Mrs Boss drift into broodiness in the past – for a few weeks – the longest that she has taken to get over it (once incarcerated) is seven days.
I’d let them out after three days. If they immediately retire to the nesting box pop them back in again for another couple of days. Then try again. Keep on putting them back until they return to a non broody state once released.
Some hens are over their broodiness in a couple of days.
I’m lucky all my hens have combs that go pink when they are broody or off lay so it is easy for me to see when they are OK again. Have a good look at your Barnvelder’s comb. It could be that it is whitish, pinkish at the edges or not looking as brilliant red as normal. I had a West Indian friend and could always tell when she was off colour as her skin looked dusty.
Hi
Really appreciated the information posted on the unbroody coop, as a new comer to keeping chickens it was fantastic to find online advice. Dottie returned to her normal self after 36 hours in the coop. Which was a great relief as I found it really stressful.
I was wondering if you would have an more invaluable advice wrt to Lottie, who we have had for one month, we bought her as pol with two others, she has a smaller comb which has always been paler than the others and has not darkened like the other two. She is always the last out of the coop, eats less than the others and her left eye shuts quite often making her look squinty/sleepy. I have been hoping that she is a late developer but am becoming concerned that there may be a problem. I have been using vermix in case of worms and have not seen any mites. They all have periodic runny poo’s including Lottie and I am not sure how worried I should be about this. Plummage, growth and weight all seems to be fine.
Any thoughts on what if anything may be wrong.
Thanks
Dawn
Hi Dawn
Nothing springs to mind about Lottie. I am meeting up with some chicken experts this evening and will ask them and get back to you asap.
I have 2 hens and i rooster. They roam the yard and roost at night in a wire cage. I feed them good chicken pellet and lots of water. My problem is after one month only one hen lays eggs, 2 a day in the same spot under a thee in the tall grass. She never sits on the eggs up to 15 eggs just sit there.These hens are not young,aprox 1 year old or older. The rooster monts the one hen 5 or 6 times a day, but that hen never seems to lay eggs.WHATS WRONG WITH MY HENS?????
George in Lowgap nc
Thanks so much for your advice. I have let them out (after 3 days) and so far they haven’t tried to go back into the nesting box – although it has only been a couple of hours!)
They have both had a good long dust bath but I’ve noticed that Beryl, the Barnvelder, has lost all the feathers from her throat/neck area. The area isn’t red or sore. Is this normal?
Thanks
Jane
I am new to keeping chickens and since Mrs Pepper became broody a week or so ago I have found your website very helpful. Mrs Pepper has spent 3 nights in a wire shopping trolley which my son found vandalised and dumped on the road side. It made an ideal broody coop! She has now been out of her broody state for 4 days but when will she start laying again? Many thanks for your help.
Hi Dawn
I asked the chicken experts and thay couldn’t come up with an instant solution. It’s hard if you can’t see the hen.
Lottie just might be a hen that is never 100%. It might be worth contacting the person who sold her to you. Write down the defects befor you ring so that you have them to hand.
Don’t reject her out of hand. She might blossom in the future but ring your breeder – it’s important that they know that they have sold you a hen that might not be quite ‘right’.
Hi George
There is nothing wrong with your hens.
They are just not ready to go broody. Some hens never go broody. Why are you leaving the eggs?
A hen doesn’t need a nest of eggs to go broody.
Eat the eggs while you are waiting! It could be some time.
If you want a hen to go broody and raise some chicks, find a breed of hen with a tendency to go broody and cross your fingers that this will happen. Out of four hens with a tendency to go broody we have only one that regularly goes broody!
Hi Jane
Great news. I they have been out and about for a couple of hours you have cracked it!
The loss of feathers on the Barnvelder’s neck is probably tied up with being broody (soft feathers to line the nest). So no need to worry on this score I think, but I’m no expert. If it continues then possibly seek medical advice.
Hello Wendy
The shopping trolley adaptation is awesome. Top marks for ingenuity!
I have no idea when Mrs Pepper will start laying again. Is she a laying breed? How old is she? Was she laying regularly before she went broody?
Mrs Pepper is a duck feathered welsummer purchased at POL in March. She has laid well since the day she came to live with us and usually lays about 6 eggs a week. She laid for 10 days without a break and became broody towards the end of that. She has now had 5 days off and shows no sign of being broody now. Many thanks.
Hi Wendy
If she has got over her broodiness she will come back into lay sooner rather than later. It’s impossible for me to predict exactly when as this depends from hen to hen. As she is young, you shouldn’t have to wait long.
Hi Jane
Thank you for getting expert advice and coming back to me on Lottie – I got her from a livestock auction and was refused contact details of the seller when I asked for them as I wanted to know whether the hens we were buying had been vaccinated.
Since my last note to you Lottie has deteriorated considerably, she has become really lethargic, is not eating much at all or drinking she just seems to want to sleep. I have taken her to the vet who has given me some antibiotics and is looking into whether further worming medication should be given(in addition to the Verm X). The other two hens are absolutely thriving so the vet does not think it is worms or mites.
I have tried putting food close to Lottie and moving Lottie to the food but she only takes a couple of pecks at the grain or bread (I have tried other foods but they just leave it – I gave them some wild bird seed yesterday but it remained in the feeder).
Any advice you can give would be really appeciated as I hate to see her deteriorating like this, wasting away and hardly able to get in and out of the hen house and I am fearing the worst.
Thanks
Dawn
Hello Dawn
I’m at a loss. Just don’t know what to advise.
Sometimes a chicken will not thrive. It has nothing to do with you (you have chickens that are clearly healthy) but like everyone who sees a creature struggling, you think that you can make a difference. And you can. Make sure that she has easy access to food and water and that she has the softest bed imaginable.
The sad fact is that you probably cannot make a difference vis a vis her condition. Vets are trained to treat reportable diseases in chickens not the niggly conditions that can kill a chicken but not anyone else. She is eating a little and this is a good sign but drinking is far more important.
You could try a little sugared water or glucose and water to give her a boost. Drip a little from your fingers onto her beak to give her the idea.
From the facts that you have already told me it could be that she was ill when you bought her and sadly she might not make it.
If this is the case, make sure that you tell the auctioneer what has happened to Lottie. He might be a little more wary of the seller in the future.
When we bought our first six hens there were two lavender pekins in the flock. The first keeled over and died the next summer. The second the summer after. They just looked peaky and died within a couple of days. They are buried in the garden and I still miss them.
Mrs Pepper has begun laying again after her broody episode and 10 days off.
Dawn, I do hope Lottie is showing signs of recovery. I lost one of my 4 hens when i’d only had them about a month. She was very lethargic for a few days and would only eat if I gave it to her by hand. She then stopped eating altogether. On the final day she went downhill very rapidly and sadly died. She was my tamest hen and I still miss her. Wendy
Hello!
I wanted to thank you for your excellent advice about using an anti-broody coop. I have three beautiful Pekin bantams and one of them had been broody for six weeks. We spent ages moving her off the nest box only for her to immediately run back in again, regardless that there were no eggs to sit on! If we shut her out she would run round and round the run trying to get back in, then flatten herself down in the grass and go into a “trance”. The second the coop was opened again she would race inside.
I came across your website and waited until the weather forecast sunnier weather, and on saturday in went broody Myrtle. As expected, she was not impressed and flapped about and squawked, but after three days she was released from the “torture chamber” (as my husband named it!) Straight away she ran and flapped round the garden and has gone back to being her normal self. I am so pleased! I felt mean putting her in the cage but it is so great to see her doing normal “chicken” things again in the garden with the other girls…instead of wasting her time sitting fruitlessly in the dark.
Thank you very much!
Kind regards,
Vicky
Hello Wendy
Good news about Mrs Pepper. Interesting to know that you had to wait ten days before she started laying again.
It’s so sad when one loses a hen. Poor you.
Hello Vicky
Thanks so much for leaving this comment. A broody hen not sitting on fertile eggs quickly becomes a miserable creature.
I feel mean putting a hen into the anti broody coop but within a few days she is back to her old self again and enjoying the summer.
So pleased that it worked quickly for you.
Hi, have been reading your posts, just looking for a little advice for my mum! she has 4 girlies, all bought at point of lay and all now laying. Today have started to have problems with our white sussex (hybrid) Ivory, she has been laying for about 3ish weeks and seemed fit and healthy, she layed as usual this morning, but has now re-entered the nest box and will not move! if you look in at her she flattens herself and makes odd noises, to be honest she looks pretty peeed off!! I recon she’s gone broody but my mum doesn’t agree. What do you guys think? We’ve only just had all four laying, and have hd prblems with feather pecking, now resolved, and i don’t want mum to lose out on eggs again. Also she’ll worry as she is very attached, as i am secretly! Thanks in advance Tasha
Hello Tasha
The hen is broody, the flattening is a good pointer. The best wasy to stop her being broody is to make a broody coop (easy) there is a link to the instructions in the post above.
Good luck, I’d love to hear how she gets on!
Hi again!
Thank you for your reply. Just thought that some people might like to know it took our broody bantam four days to lay again after being released from the anti-broody cage. She was out on Tuesday and we had our first egg in six weeks from her on Saturday. Hurray!!!All the eggs that the three girls lay are different to each other but distinctive to them. Even my two children know who has laid which egg!
I will know what to do now if any of the girls go broody again…as we are not planning on hatching out chicks.
many thanks and kind regards,
Vicky
Hello Vicky
Great to hear that your broody hen started to lay only four days after release from prison!
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. Here’s hoping for a broodyless summer.
just found these posts whilst searching for Elderflower receipes… and I too have two hens that will not go broody George. So you are not alone. I was wondering what was up with mine but clearly some just do (when you don’t want them to) and others never want to! Typical – but good to know its just the way of the world. I have asked a neighbour to incubate some ’should be’ fertile eggs for me in an incubator and will then have to do the rearing bit myself – a pity as it would be easier if the hen did it herself but, its all learning isn’t it!
Hello Rowena
Bantams are supposed to go broody at the drop of a hat. Out of four hens with a tendency to go broody we got just one – Mrs Boss.
I reckon that it is easier if you have a hen to do the rearing for you but you will have far fewer eggs during the lifespan of a breed with a broody tendency. So if they never go broody you have drawn a bit of a dud hand!
Swings and roundabouts.
Good luck with your chicks. I’d love to hear how you get on.
Delighted to find your site tonight, since I have decided the best we can do with our broody girl is see if she’ll raise some young for us. Currently, we live “nowhere”, on the banks of the Pamlico river with 1 Buff Orpington – Chicka-Chicka-Boom-Boom, and 2 white leghorns Foxine and Esmerelda. It didn’t take a neurosurgeon to realize that BoomBoom is broody, but your site certainly cleared up some observations. We’ve decided to order some fertile eggs for her and hope for the best. We’ll also be ordering day old chicks as we expand a little, for their appears to be a growing market for subscription free range/organic eggs.
Any suggestions – such as how many eggs for BoomBoom are appreciated. And many thanks to all.
Brown
Hello Brown
Great idea to use your broody to raise some young for you. Buff Orpingtons are wonderful hens. The best of luck.
They are big hens so Boom Boom can accommodate more than Mrs Boss. The chicken Lady’s broody hatched out ten chicks (from eleven eggs), so you could go for broke and try twelve. Sadly, there are always some casualties.
I’d love to hear how you get on!
What brilliant advice!
I have a broody Wyandotte and now a Barnvelder has joined her in the nesting box! It deffinately has put the other hens off laying. I will try the broody coop! Also the loss of feathers on the barnvelders neck mentioned earlier is interesting as mine always loses her head and neck fearthers in the summer. I think she is a very hot bird as i have treated her constantly with anti-lice/mite treatments. her skin is very red underneath.
Hello Chloe
Good luck with the broody coop!
I’d love to hear how you get on.
Hello, all! I am hoping for some advise about my hens. I have 5 right now (3 left out of 4 original beaubands (rhode island red cross) and 2 black sex links (younger). They have a good size checken coop (has previously held as much as ten), 6 separate laying boxes, a large fence in pen and then allowed to free range when we’re home from work. One black sex link is being unmercilessly picked on by the others. She has so many bald spots it’s making me ill just to look at her. I tired Blu-Kote which only worked for a few days. Now the others take turns jumping on her back and pull feathers out of her head. I an thinking of caging her in sight of them, so as to keep up contact but no abuse. Does any one have any advise here. I’d be most appreciate. Most of the chickens seem to be laying, but one or two may be nearing retirement. The victim is very skittism and my husband says he has seen her posturing in a menacing way towards the others (like I blame her) but feels this may be bringing on the warfare. No rooster, by the way. Thanks for any help you can suggest. Nan
Hi Nan
Chicken bullying is merciless. Your poor old hen is at the bottom of the pecking order and will stay there until you change the status quo. Perhaps introduce two or three more hens if you have enough space.
Some hens, like some people just don’t have a chance. Of course she is posturing and trying to fight back.
The awful fact is that there’s always a hen at the bottom of the pecking order. However this hen is being really abused (like your hen) you need to change the status quo PDQ.
If you remove the hen, she will recover but face the same abuse when she returns to the flock unless you introduce others to the flock in the interim.
You could, of course, move the main bullying chickens on. Buy several young pullets to replace them and reintroduce your hen to the flock and hope that the new hens are shouldering the abuse.
It’s best to try and take action a bit earlier in the future. If bullying has really taken hold you have deep problems and may need to get rid of the top and bottom of your pecking order so as to rebuild a balanced, happy flock. There are other ways to build a bullied hen’s status – if she goes broody let her raise a clutch of eggs. Another hen will slip into her position but may have more grit.
Our flock, incidentally, has to be watched carefully. Keeping hens is fun but you are in fact a micro farmer and need to always consider the past, present and future for all your stock. As we have found, leaving them to sort it all out for themselves can have devastating consequences.
Thank you so much for the clear advice. Our Black Rock hen Kiev has gone broody this weekend. After our initial excitement (including scrubbing clean a broody coop previously used as the guinea pigs’ run and sourcing some fertile eggs for her to sit on) we have realised that we will be on holiday in 21 days’ time. Sadly it looks like we will be putting wire mesh on the bottom of the coop and placing it on bricks as seeing to newly-hatched chicks as well as the hens and kitchen garden is too much to ask our neighbours. Will she go broody again next year?
Hi Caroline,
What a shame.
Kiev may go broody again this year, with a bit of luck, it just depends on her tendency to go broody.
We have hens that have gone broody once and never again and hens, like Mrs Boss, who goes broody at the drop of a hat. When she hasn’t been sitting on eggs, she can go broody several times a summer.
If Kiev is a young hen, it’s more likely that she’ll go broody again for you (next year if not this). Fingers crossed.
We’re fairly new to this “chicken” thing, having purchased 3 hens back in May. All was going well, until one decided to set on eggs. I came across your web site and my husband built the little “anti-brooding” cage. After 1 day, we felt sorry for her and let her out – and, she went right back to her nest to set. So, back in the cage for the 3 days you recommended! And, sure enough, after the 3rd day, she was so happy to get out, she’s been being a “good” chicken ever since! Thanks for the very helpful information! (Will keep the cage just in case we need it in the future!)
Judylyn
hello , i have 4 hens 1 cock and 10 chicks 2 of the hens are broody and sitting on eggs , 1 lot have been there just over a month now and i dont think they are going to hatch, 1 of the hens has the 10 chicks and has left them and is laying again i think ? will she lay and go broody again as i bought her with the chicks, could the cock not be working ? please help thank you darren.
To ‘tame’ brrody hens. Dunk them in a bucket of coldish water. A hens temperature rises when she goes broody and, as with humans, a cool bath help to reduce it.
I only got chickens early this year but have already learned a lot. Re the wire cage issue, the sort of dog cage sold for the back of a car is ideal as they are really strong and safe against a predator. There was one left at our house when we moved here, and it has proved ideal and ‘cured’ three broodies so far, left under the chicken house ‘porch’ out of the weather. One of our ex-batts suddenly lost lots of feathers over her crop and down her neck and we thought “uh-oh, bullying” but it was a brief bit of broodiness. Chickens pull out a lot of chest feathers sometimes when they go broody, but we only learned of this later.
Hi-I just came acoss your website when I was asking google about broody bantams. We live in Zambia and this year successfully hatched 5 swainsons francolin under one of my bantams. They are now 8 months old and we have the male calling in our garden every day. It is fantastic. Also when we lived in Botswana I went and brought 6 ex battery hens. The first thing they did was carry straw around and make lovely nests and they laid eggs for ages. I would love to get some modern game birds here if anyone knows how I could do it? Jackie
We need advice please – we have six pet hens, aged approx 12 months. We did have 8 until a few weeks ago when to our horror we discovered two were being “eaten alive” by the other hens. Why on earth would this happen? They have a lovely free range home and are only enclosed into bed at night time, they are fed a large variety of different foods so they certainly can’t be bored with the food. They have the “perfect” life so why would they hurt each other like this? It’s just so shocking to us and so very sad! In addition, one of the remaining six has become broody over the past few days and refuses to leave the nesting cottage so we lift her out but she gets straight back in – we have no rooster – so her attempts at motherhood are futile. Any advice especially re cannibalism?
Hi Cate
I have no experience of cannibalism in our flock but I’ve found an interesting article here http://everything2.com/e2node/Cannibalism%20in%20chickens
There is a quick way of stopping a hen going broody. See our aticle here
http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=289
If you just leave the chicken alone she may be broody for weeks and this could put the rest of the flock off laying.
Thank you for your prompt reply. Starting today, little Miss Broody Chookie will spend a few days in a separate area, away from the other girls and more importantly, away from her nesting cottage (we have two replica cottages – they sleep in one and lay their eggs in the other).
As for the cannibalism, unfortunately, living in Queensland, Australia, it is impossible to avoid high temperatures and lots of light at this time of year. They do have plenty of space – their area is approx 1/4 acre, fully fenced – they have shade from the gum trees and lots of fresh water and plenty of food, but as for high temps and lots of light, there’s not much we can do to control this.
As my husband and I are vegans (and no, we don’t eat their eggs – we give them away to friends), there is no way we could consider clipping their beaks or putting them in cages.
A bit of “trial and error” is called for in the management of this and if successful, I’ll be sure to advise you all on humane methods of curbing both broodiness and cannibalism.
Again, thank you, I really appreciate your advice on these two problems.
Hello there,
What a wonderful resource! Thank you for all this useful information.
My wee 8 month Silkie, Henny Penny, has gone broody. She’s only been with us a month, and we’ve two others who came home at the same time, both 4.5 months; all females as pets and for eggs. We’re considering adding 2 chicks to the group (raising them ourselves until big enough) but I am wondering, since the Silkie has gone broody, could we introduce the young chicks to her and do you think she would raise them, or does this only happen if she sets on the eggs and hatches them herself?
Thank you in advance for any thoughts you might have. Much appreciated!
Hello Carryh
I’d love to help you re your broody hen and the possibility of introducing chicks to her but I just have the experience to advise you. I know that you can successfully swap eggs for chicks but I have never tried this myself.
I do have experience of putting fertile eggs under a hen and this has worked out well as our ‘constantly broody’ hen is a great little mother (Mrs Boss). But some hens are not good mothers and even reject the chicks that have developed in eggs that you have set under them. I reckon that you have to know your hen very well before you take the step of introducing live chicks. They might not be welcome.
If you do go down the path of introducing live chicks the broody hen and chicks need to be separate from the rest of the flock until the chicks have attained at least half of their adult size. They are very vulnerable and other members of the flock may kill them.
Hi there!
I’ve been reading through the posts on broodiness and now have a question of my own. We have 4 hens, a blackrock, an amber, and 2 rhode island reds. I believe one of my reds is broody as she’s staying on the nest on top of any eggs the others lay, clucks when you go near her, and only leaves to eat. This is actually something that pleases us as we were going to hire an incubator to hatch fertilized eggs. I know that we can buy fertilized eggs for her to hatch and that she and the chicks will need to be moved to their own space, but do we need to move her and the eggs to their own space wile she sits on them as well? I don’t have a large garden (it’s also quite muddy at the moment due to the chickens wandering around during the day) and would love to be able to keep them all together, but of course will do what is best for both my hen and her brood. If I do need to provide a separate space, what is needed (how big, access to grass, etc)?
Thanks in advance for your help!
help, my ex bat hen has found an enclosed space in our garden without us knowing and laid 17 eggs which she has know decided to sit on . We have no cock so none to hatch. I have taken her off them much too her distress so she can go and eat. Should i get rid off eggs or will she get more distressed.
You must take the eggs away. If unhatchable eggs are left being kept warm under a broody hen they will eventually go rotten and could even explode, leaving nastiness around the place. Either put her in a broody cage as suggested further up in order to get her out of it, or let her hatch some eggs which you will have to buy in from elsewhere as you have no cock bird. If you decide to let her hatch some eggs, you must watch her to check that she is leaving the nest for a short time each day to eat and poo. Also make sure that wheverever she is ’sitting’ the resulting chicks will be safe and protected. Best read up on it first! You can source hatching eggs very easily – try ebay maybe?
Hi Cristie
It’s much better to let a broody hen hatch out the eggs as she will care for them when they hatch and protect them.
If you use an incubator you will have to care for the chicks yourself.
If I have a broody hen, I moved her to a small nursery ark, without any eggs. I put a small water fountain and some food within reach of the nest. When the fertilised eggs arrive I let them rest for 24 hours and then carefully place the eggs under the hen, one by one.
Don’t move her with unfertilised eggs as these will go bad.
Hi Jaqui
There’s no point in keeping the eggs as they will go bad. We bought some hatching eggs from Ebay for a broody last summer.
Hello Amanda
That’s good advice. Thank you.
Hi!
I have chickens here! We have two eggs, chickens wont go broody on un-fertilized eggs, will they??? Otherwise Silvia is gonna be a big problem…she’s in there a lot. But her comb isnt pink, what do I do?
Hey Jacqui!
That’s almost the same problem. I think my ex battery chicken is broody, and we have unfertilized eggs, what should I do? She’s in the coop a lot…Please help me.
Hi, its me again.
Umm, another egg problem. We only have 3 chickens, all female. If Silvia hatches chicks would the other two kill them? I need an answer!
Hi Ciara
Yes a hen can go broody on unfertilised eggs. The article above gives you advie on stopping a hen being broody. Also there are instructions for making an anti broody coup here http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/?p=289
If your hen raises a brood of chicks they need to live seperately from the rest of the flock until they are at least a third of their adult size.
Hi fn.
Okay thanks, maybe we need to take those eggs out then…Thankyou! A third? How long does that take, I’m actually more concerned of the chicks MOTHER eating them. Silvia is in the middle of the pecking order, but she’ll show ya whos boss when you mess with her.
Stink-fly and Gwen (my bros chickens) are virtually harmless…still. Thanks fn, for all of your help.
Hello – looking up re my broody hen (gold-laced wyandotte) & saw the post asking about introducing live chicks to a broody hen. I have not done this myself, but a friend has… evidently the important thing is to do it at night, when all are sleepy. Without using any lights, carefully slip very young chicks under the broody hen, removing any eggs. You may wish to monitor what happens at dawn in case there’s a problem, but the friend has had good luck with this method, and swears chicks raised by a hen have much more personality that those raised in the house.
Thanks for the advice, also – I was inclined to let my broody hen just brood herself out (we don’t need that many eggs), but beginning to notice the other 2 off their laying (black australorp & buff rock), and now I know why! Hoping blocking access to the nest box during the day will do the trick, but will hold the dreaded broody coop in reserve.
Good luck to all -
Hi Ciara
A third is about three months. Some mother hens are not great mothers. Mrs Boss was quite a tricky hen, scratchy and selfish but whn she hatched out eggs she was the best mum in the world so you can never tell.
Hello Anne
Never leave a hen to get over her broodiness. She will be unhappy for months, dominate the nest box ans also put the other hens off lay.
Blocking the nesting box probably isn’t the best idea. As this will rattle the entire flock. Try the anti broody coup route. It’s quick and effecient and guarantees that all will be well in the shortest possible time.
OR you could go down the hatching eggs route and increase your flock!
My broody hen, Rosemary, is about to hatch her clutch of 5 in the next few days(hopefully). I have 4 girls and they are currently all living together quite happily in the same chicken house. This is the first clutch Ive let Rosemary try to hatch as she has been permanently broody since Ive had her (19 months). Should I seperate my Rosemary and her chicks from the other three girls once hatched? Will the other hens be aggressive towards the chicks? Thank you so much for your help & any advice you can give me.
Hi fn,
thanks so much. I’m nervous coz we’re not getting chicks yet, until they start laying frequently. When they go broody, what do you do if they’re aggressive towards you when you try to make them eat?
Does anyone have plans to build a small ark for a broody Peking…its a long story which I wont go into, but Im about to be Father…..reluctantly
Hi Robert
Check out this link. It gives details of a book tthat has chicken house and ark plans http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/grapevine/rule-roost/plans-chicken-housing_2196.html
Hi Ciara
Put a mini food and mini water fountain beside the broody nest. Despite this, I always lift a broody off the nest twice a day so she can relieve herself. She generally returns to the nest and then eats and drinks.
Put her in a separate area away from the rest of the flock, then she won’t feel so territorial.
Hi kathy
Isolate your broody and eggs immediately. Ideally you should have done this when you set her on the eggs. A broody hen need maximum peace and quiet with feed and water within reach of the nest.
The other hens in the flock are fairly likely to kill the chicks. The chicks need to be kept apart until they are one third of their adiult size (probably about three months).
Buy a good book on chicken keeping now. If you had done tis before yur broody would have had a much happier life. when she was hatching the eggs They might ust be chickens but they are lives tat deserve the best care.
Okay thanks fn. Now i need to think of a new question….
Excellent advice…thanks. We have just put our broody chicken in the cage we had for the dog when she was a puppy. The chicken didn’t like it atall.Never knew the comb changed colour..went to look and it is different to the other 3. Will let you know how I get on. She is called Annabelle and my daughter was cross that I called her”the chicken”
Hello Feebee
This is the kindest treatment for a broody hen. Left alone she would be broody all summer and very unhappy. Also egg laying would diminish with the rest of your flock.
The dog cage is a brilliant idea.
Help, one of our gold laced Wyandottes has gone broody and has been like that for 4 weeks. Nothing we do will make her give up and one of her sisters has now joined her in the nest box, blocking it from use for the other birds who are laying their eggs everywhere. We take her out at least twice a day but she runs straight back to the box. We haven’t tried the anti-broody coop prison method yet. Are Wyandottes particularly prone to broodiness?
Hi Steve – funny, it was my gold-laced Wyandotte going seriously broody and putting my other hens off their laying that led me to this site.
I don’t know if Wyandottes are particularly prone to broodiness (my other two are a black australorp and a buff rock – neither has gone broody) – but I can tell you the anti-broody coop worked a treat. 2 nights in that, and Henrietta was totally cured.
I used a wire cage I had acquired when the hens were chicks – sold as a bunny cage. I altered it so the whole top lifts up (instead of a little door in the side). It folds away to fit back in its original flat box when not in use.
And by the way, Henrietta’s comb was never noticeably different in color – I just waited a couple of days, then let her out again to see if she headed for the nest box, and she didn’t. This was over a month ago. I’m an anti-broody-coop believer!
Good luck!
Anne
Help please! I have two very spoilt hens bijoux residence, run and free access to agarden filled with everything to make a chicken happy except they have turned from being pets (coming in the house to watch Neighbours) into killer chickens who shout at me and their mates the dogs when we come into sight. This is coupled with a massive reluctance to come out of their cosy nestbox in the mornings or throughout the day if I were to let them. Reading your description they seem to be complying with the broody hen syndrome but they are still laying an egg each a day and their combs are a bright red with glossy feathers. Could there be something else amiss with Lily Savage and Vera Duckworth?
Hello Steve
I do hope that the broody coup worked with your Wyandotte.
Hi Anne
Thanks for your advice. Much appreciated. Glad that the anti broody coop worked for your hen.
Hi Jackie
Although the combs look red and they are laying each day I would give the broody coop a go if I was you. If they are broody it could go on for months and they will eventually stop laying and have a dreadful summer.
The only other thing is that they could have had a fright. Have they been attached by a fox or a polecat or even one of your dogs. This would put them into super protective mode immediately and the nesting box could seem to be the safest place.
Try shutting your dogs in and visiting with treats of corn or wild bird seed. If they come to feed you have your answer vis a vis possible attacks. If they stay put they are probably going broody.
Re: sourcing eggs, try buying fresh, free-range eggs from a farm or bird sanctuary etc. Any eggs that have come from birds that have run with cocks will have a fair chance of being fertile. This is great if you are not fussy about what breed you get and MUCH cheaper than ebay!
You can also pick up duck or other fowl eggs at the same time…duck eggs make fantastic cakes…we currently have a cute quackling as a result of our broody hen…now considering whether it would be too cruel to set another load of eggs under “number four” this year!
What a great forum – really great to know that so many people are interested in the welfare of their little flocks…just one question; what about all the (potential) male chicks? If I end up keeping cocks, then my neighbours are going to get shotgun licences and my garden will be full of craters…Is it a case of boo-hoo / yum-yum?
Thanks…I have been taking my wyandotte and one of my speckled sussex off the nests for weeks now..had tried dipping their bums in cold water, nothing seemed to deter them..a second speckled sussex has gone broody today…they are now all grumpily in a large dog crate..will report back!
Any ideas please? I have found all the info on broodiness very helpful. We acquired two silverlaced Wyandotte bantams in March, in April Treacle became broody, after 3 weeks I came across this site and immediately made a broody coop as per your instructions. After 3 days Treacle was cured (stopped plucking out feathers, comb returned to very luminous red and she returned to being her busy self, about 4 days later she began to lay again.)
In June we had a week away, our neighbour kindly fed and watered Treacle and Beaky and let them out of their run for an hour or two each day. On our return Treacle had become broody again. Usually they have the run of the garden in the day so I assumed being more confined had triggered the process again. Back in the broody coop, this time it took the best part of 2 weeks to get her back to normal. I had to put canes across her cage to perch on as she seemed to be able to settle quite comfortably on the mesh. However it did finally work and she began laying again.
Last weekend we were away overnight, I bought some electric netting and we set up a (hopefully) fox secure run on the lawn with their run and hen house (on wheels ) in the centre. Our neighbours checked their food and water, they therefore had a run with a 25m diameter and were not shut into their ‘house’ at all, but on return 24hr after leaving Beaky has now gone broody! After 4 days in the broody box I think shes nearly ready to come out.
My thoughts are, is their any way I can help reduce their tendancy to broodiness? Did the hot weather last w/e make a difference? Will this get better as they get older?
They are really just pets for myself and husband and our two boys so we dont mind no eggs, but I feel sad when they are cooped up in their cage and find them more labour intensive to keep watching and checking etc.
Are all wyandotte bantams this broody?
Any thought gratefully appreciated
Alison
Hi Alison
We have a wyandotte bantam and she hasn’t yet gone broody. Some hens are just more prone to broodiness than others (even within the breeds that are more prone to be broody – like wyandottes). People who keep hens to raise chicks would be delighted with her. Mrs Boss’s broodiness drove us nuts until we decided to let her sit on eggs. She became happy and contented and raised ducks, guinea fowl and bantams.
WE had 2 silver laced wyandottes and they both went broody at the drop of a hat! They do make great mums too, ours have raised several lots of chicks each.
Tish C. on 15th July 2009
It all makes perfect sense now. I have 4 broodies at the moment. I will be trying the broody box tomorrow.
I also have a khaki campbell duck that has stopped laying – she is not broody – just no eggs Do you think the hot weather had anything to do with it?
I would really appreciate any help and suggestions
Hi Clare M
Wyandottes do have a tendency for broodiness. Our little hen hasn’t gone broody yet.
Hi Tish C
Yes the hot weather severely affected egg laying in our flock.
Hi, followed your advice – here are the results. My ex-battery has been broody for two months!
Day 1: left Ms Broody in the wire cage all day and night.
Day 2: same as day 1
Day 3: Allowed Ms B out during day after other hens had laid eggs and shut access to hen house off so she could run around and play with her buddies but not take over the nesting box.
Day 4: Allowed Ms B to spend evening with her buddies in hen house.
I opened up the hen house last night when I threw in a cabbage for them to have a nibble on, she immediately went into the hen house! I left it a minute, then opened the nesting box door, she froze mid-step into the nesting box. I then said to her: “you have a choice here young lady, you know what the consequences are!” She then promptly turned round and left the hen house and joined her buddies outside!!!
I went out this morning and she was out playing with them (her crop is also getting redder which is a good sign). Am keeping a close eye, but fingers crossed it has worked!
So, she seems to be OK. If she has been tempted to sit on the eggs, I will shut off access again and she will be back in the wire cage overnight.
We have had our hens for 11 months from point of lay, our Speckled hen became broody beginning May, not knowing what to do about it, we decided to get some fertilized eggs, she has sucessfully hatch out 4 out of 5 eggs then our Magpie hen became broody so we have done the same with her, she has hatched all five of hers, they are absoulutely doting mums seven weeks on the speckled hen has just laid her first egg post hatching her chicks. just one question how to we sx them do we have to wait until they start to lay or crow?
Hi Tina
What I do is look up pictures of young hens and cockerels of the relevant breed on the internet. Although it was obvious that our young cockerel was male at about a month. A very definite mini coxcomb appeared. Young cockerels are generally more outgoing than pullets.
hello,
i stumbled across ur site few days ago.. the article was very helpful..thanks.
I do however have some more questions..that i cant seem to find answers for.. and possably not asking the right questions. so here goes…
ok i have 2 bantams (1 boy, 1 gurl), 2 leghorns (gurls) they are around 7 -8 months old..they have been laying for bout month and half. (and can i just say omg and wow to the fresh eggs)..
ok so.. id like to talk bout feather displying.. my rooster does this wierd one legged hop dance thing..i actualy though he was using his wing to wipe the shit off his feet.. ingenieous.. (however its spelt), just wondered is that wat that is about.. and.. my female , also known as henny penny, shes gone all broody.. which is how i found ur website. anyway, shes been doing some wierd feather displaying her self.. i think its a back the f*** off kinda deal..but again not sure.
I dont have brooding box, or the money to make one.. so.. im going to seperate her some how.. and make her surroundings not comphy.. she does get picked on alot.. i was hopin the male would have done his thing by now..but shes made it hard the last 2 weeks.. coz shes broody stuck her self box.. anyway i thought i might put the male and broody henny penny in the separate section.. but.. i dont like it wen he tries to mate with her, shes so small.. he basicaly flattens her and rapes her.. (obviously i have issues).. he never gets it inthe right place, funny to watch, him all clumsy….but she squeels like a pig.. she hates it.. i have to walk away..
so, geting bak on subject.. the feather dispalying.. wats that all bout.. shes real bitchy now too.. attacks me, she keep harboring all the eggs.. keepin them warm.. she broke one yesterday.. i was lifting her to see if there was any eggs.. and yup.. there was an olly egg.., i dont know if she stood on it.. or wat but it broke.. sigh.. another mess to clean up… i could keep waffling on.. as im a newbie to all this chook stuff.. but using the net to learn as i go. and the dude at the fodder store was very helpful too..
cheers for the chook info.. helps me alot..
judz
have a nice day
Hi Judz
I don’t know what the feather displaying is all about. Our hens do this when they are angry.
You need to stop your hen being broody. She will not lay eggs if she is broody and gradually she will put the other hens off laying too.
hi again… henny penny has become broody again… i think its becoz shes being picked on.. the other 2 hens peck her alot.. i think i need to keep her and her rooster in separate run or somthing.. its geting a bit rediculous..she cant feed..she gets attacked.. oh and i discovered she has no belly feathers now.. shes bare.. wtf? i was so upset this morning wen i felt/saw this.. its so wrong.. so.. i locked the others outside..left her inside.. i know thats not helping with the broody but atm, shes not being attacked.. im not sure wat to do.. i dont have a brooding cage..nor to i have the money to make one etc.. but… i have been isolating her.. the chooks out side pen.. i cut in half.. kinda.. so shes still wtih them but cant be attacked..and the rooster goes in with. otherwise she frets.. but this isnt suitable wen it rains..shes got no shelter.. sigh.. i dont know .. wat else to do.. for her.. i dont want to get rid of them they chooks individualy rock.. great personalities.. but for some reason they pick on little henny penny (shes bantom)..
any other suggestions..and will the feather grow back? i gather they will..
cheers judz
Hi Judzt
There will always be one hen at the bottom of the peckibg order but you are right if the attacks are getting out of hand she needs to be isolated.
My home made broody coop cost less than a fiver to make and has proved to be a great investment. See the article here http://www.cottagesmallholder.com/how-to-make-a-broody-coop-for-your-chickens-and-bantams-in-under-an-hour-289. My friend Bunty pit a pice of wood on the roof to keep the rain off her hens.
The feathers will grow back eventually.
Hi Judzt,
I think the hens are picking on her because she is broody – rather than their bullying making her broody. This is definitely my experience, as soon as you can break the broody cycle with a broody cage, they settle back down again.
I would definitely see if you can get some materials cheaply or free of charge – try your local freecycle.org branch as very often people are giving away waste wood, etc. Broody hens pluck their own tummy feathers so their bodies can get closer to the eggs and transmit more heat so don’t blame the others – they are probably innocent of that particular crime!
Hi,
We have 4 rescue hens in a home made pallet house suspended off the ground on a vertical railway sleeper and they have all learned to get in and out just fine – much to our amazement! In the few month since we had them they have gone from the scruffy bald underweight things we originally received and are now quite lovely except for ‘Pokey’, who has put on some weight but has still got bald patches on her wings which I suspect are from the other hens pecking her. She is our best layer but looks very poor compared to the other hens, what would you recommend to improve her little life? or is this just how it is at the bottom of the pecking order…
BTW We just got a juvenile Maran Cockerel in the hope that he might provide some discipline but it is too soon to see any efect yet.
Thanks for your help!
Hello, My Silky has been broody for a fortnight now and I have just learned from yourself that I need to make an anti brooding cage, my question is , do i let her back into the coop at night?
Hi Cherie
Definitely not if you put her back in the coop at night she will go broody again! Put her in the cage with her own feeder and water fountain after a few days let her out – if she’s still broody she will go right back to her old nest. If she does this put her back in the cage again.
HI Danny , just to let you know the anti brooding cage has worked a treat, Silkie spent 2 nights and 2 days in it (we all felt sorry for her being in quarantine)but when she came out she immediately had a dust bath, a good old scratch around and is no worse for wear.happy again with her friends. Thanks for the advice
howdy all, its been a while i know.. just to let u know, i re homed my bantams.. the rooster was agressive to wards me.. im not having that, i want them as pets i dont want to fear him.. and henny peeny the femle bantam, she was being picked on.. so i thought that wasnt nice for her, as much as it killed me i found them new home on a farm couple hrs out of my town, they are happy as larry..
then my other 2, one is leghorn one is a isa brown so i found out recently.. isa brown is olly she lays very well.. up untill just recently.. sunday the leghorn she went off the lay for over 6months.. anyway someone donated me a cage and she spent 2 weeks in it.. day and night.. although towards the end id let her roam in the day in the cage at night etc, coz i felt bad for her.. shes laying again yay.. but then olly stoped.. (typical) so she went straight in the broody cage she laiedin couple days but shes on and off a bit now.. but we r heading into winter and i read thats common.. that they can slow down or stop laying etc..
but for now im happy they both layin and seem happy, id like to get another 2.. females.. as i wanted 4 chooks.. so i have extra eggs to pass aroun to friends etc.. my ppartner is building me a triangle shaped cage that will hve wheels so i can move it around the yard.. i cant let them roam.. the cats will kill them or the dog.. thats still in process of being made but i thought id use that cage wen the new gurls come along.. set it up near the main coop.. i think i read u cant just chuck them in new.. socail stuff. or somthing.. good ole psychology.
how is everyone going? hope ya all well..
judz
I have a broody hen have only had this clutch for about a month..just got in the swing of eggs but shes sitting and giving me the “evils”..going to try the “dog house” cage method when i get round to constructing something..and get brave enough to lift her!!LOL i hope she’ll be excepted back with the others in a day or two..i have such a happy bunch dont wont to upset the status quo!!!
Hi,
Bit of advice about my broody hen please! She turned a few weeks ago despite having no eggs to sit on. At the time we had a cock so was hoping the other hen would provide (we lost 4 hens last year to fox)but she went off the lay too. I introduced a new pullet and a couple of bantams whose eggs she was happy to comandeer – even changing nesting box to do so! The cock has subsequently gone to the great chicken pie in the sky due to a foul temper but i hoped the eggs would be fertile. I am moving her every day to eat and drink but she is displaying strange behaviour when out of the house – she has lost a lot of breast feathers and spends the entire tine scratching at her face, wiping her beak on the ground and shaking/fluffing out her feathers whilst makingthe most peculiar calling sound i have never heard before. Is this something i should be cncerned about? Thanks in advance for your time.
Hi Gordon
Is your hen in contact with hay? This can cause serious respiratory problems. It happened here a year or so ago and we lost a special pullet. She was behaving in the same way as you describe- shaking her head and shrieking strangely. If you are using hay remove it immediately and replace with a thick layer of wood chippings – available from pet shops as bedding for rabbits etc.
She also need to kept warm and dry and may need a visit to the vet for an antibiotic injection. Worth just giving them a ring to talk it through.
The breast feathers are nothing to worry about – she is using them to line her nest.
Firstly, I would like to say how usefull this website has been. My partner and I are fairly new chicken owners ( since Aug 09). We tarted off with a Marran, a White sussex and a Bluebell. Unfortunately for us, the Blubell ended up with a gammy eye, and we had to get her put down. To add insult to injury, the white sussex turned out to be a cock! we managed to swap him locally for a couple of black silkies which are lovely to look at and wonderfull little white eggs. Louise went broody first follwed about a month later by Thelma leaving us with one egg a day from the Marran.
I was then donated some fertile eggs for them to sit on, bt we did not have much joy as some little beastie got into the coop and had 6 out of the 12 eggs. We donned the gardening gloves to rescue the rest of the eggs and put them in a box under a strip light. To my joy on Friday evening we had a chick which we named Lucky. No joy with the rest of the eggs and we still have the chick in the box under a light.
Just wondered if anyone had any advice on where to go with it? How long will it need to be under a light etc? And the likely hood of it being accepted on its own by the other girls?
Any advice would be greatly recieved.
Anne
i just have to say and after much research..i had a series of broody hens..first i tried the ‘cold water bottom dunking’ (not overly successful)then the quarantine wire cage method…that worked within 48hrs!!! all ladies are back on production as normal!! recommended.
Hi Lesley
Yes we find that it works very well. Luckily we haven’t had to use it for a couple of years now.
Hi fn
Is that because they’re NOT going back for another dose of that? HA hA
If thats the case…it was well worth it for everyones sake!
Hi, like many others I have just found this site, it’s brilliant! We have a very broody and now very cross Maran – ‘Legs’ (now in a broody coop)I can hear her as I write! There is great advice on this site and its nice that we can all help each other out. Nice to know there are lets of like minded people out there.
Hi lorna….when you say she’s in a coop.. providing it has a wire bottom to it..no bedding..or cosy place to sit and keep her bum warm…the job will be well done!! the idea is to allow the ‘fresh air’ flowing hence it must be off the ground to! ps I now have another one due for the same treatment if she dosnt buck up!! Good luck