How to Break a Broody Hen

[9d84runner]

Um, maybe a stupid question but if you have a broody hen, why are you wasting time with an incubator??? She would likely do a MUCH better job than you will. And you won't have to go out at "way past 0 dark thirty", stuff the chicks under her and hope she accepts them.


Curious, a guard hen

She really is. It's sort of weird.

Thanks so this thread I know how to break a broody hen! w00t! Seriously a couple stressful days. Haha.

 

[slordaz]

Um, maybe a stupid question but if you have a broody hen, why are you wasting time with an incubator??? She would likely do a MUCH better job than you will. And you won't have to go out at "way past 0 dark thirty", stuff the chicks under her and hope she accepts them.


Curious, a guard hen

because this particular hen doesn't do well brooding, then tries to steal the other broodies nest and even the ducks babies. I don't think will have to put do the night time thing as she's still trying to steal the ducklings at a month old from their mommas.

she tried to brood 2 rimes with her eggs, first one the next day she broke them all wanting babies out like the other hen, second one she made it 3 days before trying to break the babies out then stole a BO's nest and made it 17 days before doing it, didn't catch the buff made a hidden nest. I've never seen a chicken do this before and broody breaker didn't work even kept in there for 10 days

 

[Texasgirl4383]

My white leghorn has been broody for 4 months. It's killing her. I take her off she'll go eat and drink and then heads back. She's not dependable because she bounced around my 6 nesting boxes. The one chick she hatched before I took the eggs and gave to someone that wanted to hatch died because as soon as it hatched she got off and jumped in with my other hen that was sitting on the 2 eggs I left her. I'll try the crate method, but any other advice?

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Oh DEFINITELY put her in a Broody Buster cage ASAP! Four months is a long, long time for a hen to be setting! Leghorns aren't bred to be broody so something is a little haywire in this hen's head. Try putting the cage out in the sun during the daytime (with cover for shade of course) the bright light could help re-set her programming. I try to create the opposite conditions of broodiness to break a hen, the opposite of isolation, darkness, cozy warmth underneath.

 

[eagrbeavr]

I had a hen who went broody constantly this past summer. I gave up and just let her sit there with a golf ball. After 6 wks she finally gave up and that was the end of it.

 

[slordaz]

Thank heavens for small miracles, my white leghorn that was driving everyone crazy since May finally broke broody now we are to fall and it's a good thing incubator chicks i was gonna hatch for her failed at hatch, all the other hens were going through molt though too so no eggs in sight.

 

[slordaz]

Oh DEFINITELY put her in a Broody Buster cage ASAP! Four months is a long, long time for a hen to be setting! Leghorns aren't bred to be broody so something is a little haywire in this hen's head. Try putting the cage out in the sun during the daytime (with cover for shade of course) the bright light could help re-set her programming. I try to create the opposite conditions of broodiness to break a hen, the opposite of isolation, darkness, cozy warmth underneath.

apparently not this year thats 2 on here that did it, she did a stint of 10 days in the broody buster hanging in the air and it didn't break her

 

[jessg84]

I have my first broody hen. I've been trying to break her by keep taking her away from the nest. When I take her away she will stay out for a while and eat and drink but then goes back. Is there any harm in just letting her be broody as long as I take her out a few times a day to eat and drink?

 

[Little Fuzzy]

I tried that with my first broody hen, two months later she was still sitting on the nest, had lost a lot of weight and was still not laying eggs. Two nights is a wire cage and she was over it.

 

[jessg84]

I'm going to get a wire cage for her today. The temps will be dropping into low 30s the next few nights do you think I should cover the cage with a tarp at night. I was gonna bag to set it up in the run.