Broody Hens

By Elena Johsnon CVC AC

If you’re not hatching out eggs, you must break broodiness as soon as it starts, or your hen is going to suffer from malnutrition. They will sit on eggs and only leave the nest once a day, if that, to eat, drink and poop. This is very unhealthy for them and puts them at risk for other illness, they lose a tremendous amount of weight, their combs turn pale. Hatching takes 21 days after the last egg of the clutch is laid so a lot of damage can be done in this time. Malnutrition can lead to illness and death. They also do a lot less preening which leaves them more vulnerable to lice and mites.

Have a broody breaker away from the coop, I put mine in the garage, a rabbit cage with wire bottom works well as you don’t want to give them soft bedding to lay in Bare wire, you don’t want them to be able to make a nest.

The sooner you move them the better, the longer you let them be broody, the longer it will take to break them, a couple weeks to a month. Usually, one to two days for each day broody.

When they finally start acting normal, walking around, not wanting to sit or growl at you when you approach, lay an egg, wait another day, then put them back in the coop after dark in their normal roosting spot. By doing this at night you won’t disturb the flock and she will usually be accepted back without any squabbling.

Dipping them in cold water, fake eggs and just taking the eggs and putting them outside is not going to work. They will go right back to sitting. Fake eggs encourage them to keep sitting. These are old wives tales. You must remove them from the coop completely. If you don’t have a rabbit cage, a dog crate will work too. But no soft bedding or they will continue to nest. This is the easiest and most successful method. I also do Not suggest putting day old chicks under them at night, not all hens are good mothers, and many will kill the chicks and even eat them. Also buy breeds not prone to being broody.

Meyer Hatchery has this info listed for each breed.

List of some Broody Breeds: Speckled Sussex, Orpington, Cochin, Blue Ameraucana, Dominique, Black
Sumatra, Black Jersey Giant, Delaware, Silkie, Frizzle, Brahma, Black Copper Marans, Barred Plymouth
Rock, Australorp, Wyandotte.

Non-Broody Breeds: Leghorn, Rhode Island Red (Not always good in mixed breed flocks, can be
aggressive) White Legbar, Green Queen, Barnevelder, Bielefelder, White Plymouth Rock, Polish, Austra
White, Blue Andalusian, Golden Buff, Easter Egger, Partridge Penedesenca, Silver Spangled Hamburg,
Lakeshore Egger, Welsummer.