Breaking Broody

[Yardmom]

When in "jail" make sure your hens are not to comfortable. If they lay like on a nest, they may not break out of broodiness soon.

 

[MarlaMac]

This morning, I let my broody hen out of jail for a short period b/c of the mess I had to clean (can't wait for the smelly part to be over). She hung with the flock for about 1.5 hours then right back to the lay box. Removed her immediately and back to confinement.

Last night we have a cold front come through. We had been in the mid 80s. Last night got down to about 54 and the "cold" stayed around today. The high was about 64 with a NNE wind at about 8 mph. So the coop stayed in the low 60s.

Today, I let broody out to forage around 2pm with the flock. Rooster rounded her up and she stayed with the flock all afternoon. Around 7pm they all started over to the run as is their evening routine. I sat out with them and broody was the first to go into the coop, mumbling all the way in. I thought "ugh" and went to see where she was and, much to my delight, she had gone to roost!

I think that makes up about 96 hours in total. I am thankful she went to roost and am praying that tomorrow brings a chicken who is no longer broody!

 

[RoyalChick]

This morning, I let my broody hen out of jail for a short period b/c of the mess I had to clean (can't wait for the smelly part to be over). She hung with the flock for about 1.5 hours then right back to the lay box. Removed her immediately and back to confinement.

Last night we have a cold front come through. We had been in the mid 80s. Last night got down to about 54 and the "cold" stayed around today. The high was about 64 with a NNE wind at about 8 mph. So the coop stayed in the low 60s.

Today, I let broody out to forage around 2pm with the flock. Rooster rounded her up and she stayed with the flock all afternoon. Around 7pm they all started over to the run as is their evening routine. I sat out with them and broody was the first to go into the coop, mumbling all the way in. I thought "ugh" and went to see where she was and, much to my delight, she had gone to roost!

I think that makes up about 96 hours in total. I am thankful she went to roost and am praying that tomorrow brings a chicken who is no longer broody!

Yay!
Similar experience here. Tassels spent another 24 hours in jail. She went on day release yesterday and went to roost with her flock. In total I think about 90 hours in jail.
I too am waiting to see what the morning brings!

 

[MarlaMac]

My broody is still hanging with the flock. Hope you are experiencing the same with Tassels.

 

[RoyalChick]

My broody is still hanging with the flock. Hope you are experiencing the same with Tassels.

So far so good.

 

[MarlaMac]

Today we had cold (for us), wet weather (low 50s). Rooster Cogburn kept the flock near the run and a lot of the girls spent time in the coop to get out of the rain. Kept my finger crossed that broody wouldn't go into a lay box and hide out.

Thankfully, she didn't. I am thinking her cycle has been broken. I hope she goes the rest of the year without going broody again.

 

[RoyalChick]

Today we had cold (for us), wet weather (low 50s). Rooster Cogburn kept the flock near the run and a lot of the girls spent time in the coop to get out of the rain. Kept my finger crossed that broody wouldn't go into a lay box and hide out.

Thankfully, she didn't. I am thinking her cycle has been broken. I hope she goes the rest of the year without going broody again.

Good news. Seems like both our ladies have come to their senses!

 

[SwampPrincessChick]

One of my hens went broody yesterday. I found my Easter Egger Bantam, April, fluffing up and spreading her wings at any chicken who approached, and she was making broody clucks. I watched her for a long time and checked on her throughout the day, but she was just walking around acting broody instead of on a nest, like she was protective over invisible eggs or chicks. In the evening, I found her sitting on a nest in the corner of the coop and I prepared to check if she had eggs in there. She came out, probably because she knew what I was going to do, and I grabbed and petted her while talking to her for a minute, and then set her back down. I checked the nest and there was nothing in there, so April had been brooding on no eggs. I'm not too worried about it because all of my broody hens have broke and never successfully hatched, but I don't want April to lose too much body weight, or let a snake go under her and let it bite her (we have many copperheads around here and I know broody hens' senses are off and they will brood on snakes). The reason I do not want her to hatch eggs is because the rooster in the flock has a deformed leg－I don't know if he injured it while hatching (because he was shrink-wrapped and needed help), or if it was deformed due to a genetic problem. In case it is the latter, I am not going to risk it and allow his deformity to pass on to chicks. If April continues being like this, she will get stuck in broody jail.

 

[Buttercup is the best]

I've had some similar problems, one of my hens recently went broody, and 3 others are acting broody but not staying on the nest. They all have bare bellies, which I know is a sign of broodiness. I broke the one that I knew was broody, and now she is fine. Not sure about the others. I also have an astrolorp hen who has never gone completely broody, but that has sort of always been her personality. She always clucks around the coop looking for her nest. She is 9 years old and no longer laying, but has a bare belly. I'm pretty sure that astrolorps just have the mother instinct in their genetics, based on experience. Good luck with your hens!!

 

[Buttercup is the best]

I've had some similar problems, one of my hens recently went broody, and 3 others are acting broody but not staying on the nest. They all have bare bellies, which I know is a sign of broodiness. I broke the one that I knew was broody, and now she is fine. Not sure about the others. I also have an astrolorp hen who has never gone completely broody, but that has sort of always been her personality. She always clucks around the coop looking for her nest. She is 9 years old and no longer laying, but has a bare belly. I'm pretty sure that astrolorps just have the mother instinct in their genetics, based on experience. Good luck with your hens!!