There must be something in the water at our place with the amount of hens that like to “book off” and go broody on us. Or perhaps this is there way to escape the continued advances of our rooster and spend the day lazing about the hen house instead.
Whatever it is, it is end of November and we have two more Broody Hens. Now if we were wanting to stuff baby chicks in everyone’s stockings on Christmas this would be awesome (it is a 21 day incubation) but alas, we aren’t – so I spend my days trying to “break their brood”.
Why? Why would I want to do that?
1. When they are Broody they sit all day in a nesting box and rarely eat. This weakens their immune system, and going into winter we want them fat and healthy and ready for the cold weather.
2. They don’t lay when they are broody, and we WANT EGGS.
3. As noted above- we don’t want chicks. . . so they are wasting their time.
And what would one do to “break a broody”?
What we don’t do is use fans to cool them or put them in wire bottomed cages like suggested. Instead we “gently encourage them and remind them there is life outside the nest”
Each broody is gently removed from her box in the morning and placed outside the coop with the others. She gets chance to free-range, get some food and water and stretch her legs. Every time we walk past the coop, the same procedure is repeated. Eventually the hen stays up . . either frustrated at being removed all the time or keen to stay and play!
This has worked for all our broodies so far and while it isn’t permanent, it helps for the time being. The saddest part is seeing the broodies when they are out of their box, finding food and calling to the “their chicks” (of which there are none).
When we have fully committed and obsessed broodies we will often find a sexed chick to stick with them, just so they can nurture and follow their instincts.
At this point you may ask “Why not just hatch”
For every egg there is a 50% chance you will get a hen, and the same odds it will be a rooster. While a flock can home many hens, there is only room for one rooster. We haven’t made the progress of processing our roosters yet . . . perhaps one day, but not right now.