Three years ago I started this thread https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/181289/how-to-break-a-broody-hen to discuss methods to "break" a broody hen. Since then, I have encountered some hens that I think should not be broken, at least, not every time.
Chickens have been domesticated for over 3,000 years, and people have been selectively breeding them for almost that long. I don't know when breeds were designed more for egg production and less for broodiness, perhaps when electrical incubators became more convenient to use. But now we have many production breeds where the broody instinct has been selectively bred out of them. Still, a lot of the more ornamental breeds and mixed-breed hens retain those broody instincts, and in some of them it is very strong.
Also, individual results do vary, and even a production-breed hen may feel the broody mood. I've even seen photos of White Leghorns in egg factories trying to go broody in the corner of their cages. And I think as a result of this selective breeding we have hens with varying strengths of brooding skills. Some are more determined to brood and less easily discouraged than others who can be broken of their broodiness by simply moving them out into the sunshine. "Whatever was I thinking?" she'll say, and go back to scratching with her flock-mates within minutes.
Others can be broken almost as easily, with a stay of a few days in a wire-bottomed cage. I've had a few hens who only spent one session in the Broody Buster and have never gone broody since. If you need your hens for production, or lack the resources/equipment to indulge a broody hen, then it makes sense to try and break your broodies.
However, if there is a hen with a strong broody instinct, who is difficult to break of her mood, who gets broody again within a short amount of time, or goes broody several times a year, then I think that hen should be allowed to follow her design. It will be frustrating to her owner and not pleasant for the hen to be forced against her inner nature. She can be allowed to hatch even a few eggs, or loaned/given/traded/sold to someone who can use a broody hen. If the owner doesn't want to add chicks to their flock they can allow their hen to hatch them for someone else. Hens can incubate any size chicken egg, duck, turkey, guinea, even goose eggs.
It's as if you got a puppy with a strong instinct to retrieve and were constantly trying to train it to leave things alone instead. It would be a constant struggle between you both and neither of you would be content. It's not always evident which hen will be a dedicated broody, although there are tendencies that go along with particular breeds. But if you're frequently contending with the same broody hen, perhaps it would be better to switch than fight.
Chickens have been domesticated for over 3,000 years, and people have been selectively breeding them for almost that long. I don't know when breeds were designed more for egg production and less for broodiness, perhaps when electrical incubators became more convenient to use. But now we have many production breeds where the broody instinct has been selectively bred out of them. Still, a lot of the more ornamental breeds and mixed-breed hens retain those broody instincts, and in some of them it is very strong.
Also, individual results do vary, and even a production-breed hen may feel the broody mood. I've even seen photos of White Leghorns in egg factories trying to go broody in the corner of their cages. And I think as a result of this selective breeding we have hens with varying strengths of brooding skills. Some are more determined to brood and less easily discouraged than others who can be broken of their broodiness by simply moving them out into the sunshine. "Whatever was I thinking?" she'll say, and go back to scratching with her flock-mates within minutes.
Others can be broken almost as easily, with a stay of a few days in a wire-bottomed cage. I've had a few hens who only spent one session in the Broody Buster and have never gone broody since. If you need your hens for production, or lack the resources/equipment to indulge a broody hen, then it makes sense to try and break your broodies.
However, if there is a hen with a strong broody instinct, who is difficult to break of her mood, who gets broody again within a short amount of time, or goes broody several times a year, then I think that hen should be allowed to follow her design. It will be frustrating to her owner and not pleasant for the hen to be forced against her inner nature. She can be allowed to hatch even a few eggs, or loaned/given/traded/sold to someone who can use a broody hen. If the owner doesn't want to add chicks to their flock they can allow their hen to hatch them for someone else. Hens can incubate any size chicken egg, duck, turkey, guinea, even goose eggs.
It's as if you got a puppy with a strong instinct to retrieve and were constantly trying to train it to leave things alone instead. It would be a constant struggle between you both and neither of you would be content. It's not always evident which hen will be a dedicated broody, although there are tendencies that go along with particular breeds. But if you're frequently contending with the same broody hen, perhaps it would be better to switch than fight.
