If you’re anything like my family we have chickens not only because they look pretty and are full of character, but because we want fresh eggs (hopefully daily) from hens we know are free range and living a happy life. But, as the months get warmer, hens can become broody. This is great if you want to raise chicks from eggs that have been fertilised by a cockerel, but if you want eggs for food a broody hen becomes a bit of a problem. She will stop laying and she could cause your other hens to turn broody, which means absolutely no eggs for you!
What is a broody hen?
A broody hen is one which will sit on top of her eggs, and sometimes those of other hens, because she wants them to hatch, whether the egg is fertilised or not. Obviously, if the egg is not fertile it will not hatch no matter how long she sits on it! Aside from causing a lack of eggs, broodiness in a hen can actually impact her health in a negative way. She will eat a lot less, if at all, excrete less often, and put the needs of her eggs before herself.
Why do hens get broody?
It isn’t known exactly why hens get broody but, at least in some hens, it’s likely to be that they have a deep maternal instinct that makes them want to hatch their eggs, and along with hormones it is a recipe for broody behaviour! Maturity also plays a role. If a young hen is only in her first laying season it is extremely unusual for her to get broody.
When do hens get broody?
You will not be able to predict when a hen will get broody, and if you do want to raise chicks you cannot make a hen get broody. However, hens are more likely to get broody during spring and summer as they need warmer weather in order to raise chicks, therefore it is very rare for hens to get broody in colder months.
As well as factors relating to weather and temperature, there is the simple fact that some breeds of chicken are just broodier than others, and some won’t get broody at all. For example, hybrid hens very rarely get broody because they were bred to not have this instinct, conversely, breeds including Cochins, Wyandottes, Buff Orpingtons, and especially Silkies can be expected to get broody several times a year.
What are the signs of a broody hen?
It will probably be obvious to you when you have a broody hen as their behaviour changes so much, but there are a few prominent signs that your hen is broody:
she will stay in her nest all day – in fact, if you have a separate nest box to coop, she won’t even leave the nest to roost with the other hens for the night
she will become very territorial and aggressive – she will puff her feathers out to look bigger and will squawk at any human, or chicken, that tries to get near her
she will peck and try to bite you, and make a lot of noise, if you try to move her
she may even pluck out her breast feathers to get the egg close to her body, which gives the egg better warmth
How do you ‘break’ a broody hen?
Even if you are removing the eggs every time one has been laid, your hen may still be broody, despite having nothing to sit on.
Of course, you have the option just to leave your hen to brood, but this will take about 3 weeks, when the chicks would hatch if they were fertile eggs, and you won’t get any eggs from her this entire time. If you do decide to let your hen brood, just make sure you are checking up on her regularly, as not taking dust baths can lead to mites or lice, and force her to eat and drink water at least once during the day.
If, however, you don’t want to leave her to brood for this long, or if she is still showing broody behaviour after 3 weeks, your hen will need to be ‘broken’ so that you can have eggs again. There are several ways to do this:
1. Actively remove her from the nesting box
You should take the hen out of the nesting box, with gloves on to save you from being pecked, and put her with the rest of your chickens. It will help to do this when you are feeding your chickens as the hen will put interest into the food. Now, she may just run straight back into the nest box, either as soon as you put her down or after she has finished eating. This just means you will need to repeat this method a number of times a day and hope that this ‘breaks’ the broodiness.
2. Block off the nesting box
If, after several days, she still runs straight back to the nest box after removing her, you should block either her specific nesting box or access to the coop until it is time for your chickens to roost. You can also remove the straw or shavings from the box, so that if she does manage to get back in, she will not find it quite so comfortable, encouraging brooding to stop.
3. Make her roost
If you have a separate nest box from your coop, make sure that you put her in with the other hens at night to roost, as this can work to break the cycle.
4. Use something cold
In the frustrating circumstance that she is still broody after these other methods you can try putting something cold underneath her, such as frozen fruit or vegetables, or ice. This will not only be uncomfortable but will reduce her already raised body temperature, which can trick the brain into thinking that they are not broody anymore. Just make sure that the outside temperature is warm so that she can warm back up to her normal temperature.
By using these ‘breaking’ methods you should only have a broody hen for a few days, and egg laying should continue a few days after that. Don’t be surprised though if it is a little longer, some hens can take up to a month before they will lay normally again.
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