Broody Hen: What to Do

During the course of raising chickens, you will undoubtedly come across a broody hen. This can be a new and exciting experience for you. You may find that your favourite, sweet and docile hen has now turned into a hissing bundle of feathers whenever anyone or anything approaches them. So now you have a broody hen, what to you do?

What is a broody hen?

A broody hen is one that has decided that it wants to become a mother. She wants to hatch eggs and raise some chicks of her own. This is a natural instinct for chickens, with some breeds more inclined to go broody than others. Not all hens will go broody and some will only go broody once in their lifetime. Some will go broody ALL THE TIME!

It is hard to predict when a hen will go broody. You will find that it is usually in the spring as the warmer weather is a sign for them to raise chicks, though you may have the odd one or two that go any time of the year.

Signs of a Broody Hen

The signs to look for in a broody hen are:

• Staying in the nesting box for an extended period of time. Hens like to choose a safe and protected area to hatch their eggs. You will find that they are not laying any eggs either.
• Hissing, growling and fluffed up feathers. When nearing a broody hen, you will find that they tend to fluff up their feathers while making some unusual noises such as hissing, and growling. They may also peck you if you try to put your hand too close to her. She is only trying to protect her nest.
• A flattened appearance. To keep all their eggs warm and safe, a hen will flatten herself over the eggs.
• Noisy clucks. Even when off the nest, a broody hen will continue to make a serious of loud clucks, warning everyone around her not to mess with her.
• Poop. Broody hens only leave the nest a couple of times a day to feed, drink and poop. You will find that these poops are huge and may smell a little more than usual. This is just broody poop.
• A bare chest. Broody hens pull out their break feathers to help line their nest. This also exposes her bare skin to help keep the eggs at the right humidity and temperature.

Just because a hen has gone broody, it does not mean that she is going to be a good mother, dedicated to her eggs and chicks. Some hens can abandon their eggs after a few days, or kill the chicks that they hatch. Unfortunately, you will not know whether they are going to be a good mother or not.

Myths About Broody Hens

There are many myths about broody hens, such as:

• A hen will only go broody when there is a rooster around. Nope, they don’t need a rooster to go broody.
• Broody hens will only sit on fertile eggs. Again, a big nope! Broody hens will sit on anything including rocks, small balls, or even nothing at all.
• They will only stay on the eggs for 21 days. Some hens will continue to sit on old, rotten eggs that haven’t hatched indefinitely, while others can get up and leave the eggs after only a week or so.
• They will only sit on their eggs. Again, hens will sit on anything. I’ve had hens raise different breeds of chickens as well as ducks. They don’t seem to mind, as long as they have eggs.
• Broody hens can tell which eggs are viable. You will find that some hens will discard dead eggs from the nest, though other hens will happily sit on dead eggs.
• All broody hens are good mothers. This is a big no! Not all broody hens will make good mothers. Some will accidentally squash the eggs and chicks, some hens will leave the chicks as soon as they hatch. I’ve had one hen that will only raise dark coloured chicks. She is white, but won’t raise white chicks, instead she attacks them.

Breeds that go Broody

Though broodiness is not connected to any particular breeds, there are some breeds of chickens that tend to go broody more often than others. 

Heritage breeds such as Silkies, Australorps, Wydandottes, and Pekins tend to go broody more often than commercial hybrids such as ISA Browns and Hyline Browns.

Can you Stop Hens going Broody?

As broodiness is a natural instinct, there is no way to stop a hen from going broody. 

Keeping the coop as light as possible, collecting the eggs regularly and keeping the coop well ventilated may help, though these won’t stop a determined broody hen.

What to do with a Broody Hen

Now that you have a broody hen, you need to decide whether to let them hatch eggs and raise chicks or to break them. 

There are pros and cons to both hatching chicks and breaking the broody hen, and it is different for every person, with a lot of it depending on your situation.

A broody hen puts all her energy into incubating the eggs, neglecting herself in the process. She will only leave the nest to eat, drink and relieve herself. During this time, she will lose weight, be more prone to parasites such as mites and lice as she won’t be dust-bathing anymore and in hot weather, can easily become dehydrated. While they are built to do this, it is hard on them. Letting her sit and not hatch any eggs is not fair to her either.

Also, during this time, a hen will not lay eggs. You may not get any eggs from her for quite a few months. Chicken eggs take 21 days to hatch and then the mother hen doesn’t start laying again until she is ready to let her chicks go off on their own. Sometimes this could be up to and over 8 weeks. They may also steal the eggs from other hens or stop the other hens from getting into the nesting box.

One downside to letting your broody hens hatch chicks is that they can inspire other hens to go broody as well. And, before you know it, you can have quite a few of your hens sitting together and not laying.

If you find yourself with a broody hen, you will need to make a decision quickly and stick with it. The health of your hen is going to be affected by this decision.

More Chicken Resources

• First Aid Kit for Chickens
• Printable Chicken Management Binder
• Tips for Keeping Chickens Cool
• Fermented Chicken Feed
• Create a Dust Bath for Your Chickens
• Flock Block for Chickens
• Chicken Life Cycle Printables for Kids
• Bending a Chicken Bone Experiment for Kids
• Tips for Getting Started with Backyard Chickens

Raising Chicks

For a broody hen to hatch eggs and raise chicks, you will need fertile eggs, and a safe place to keep her and her chicks until they are able to mix with the flock.

First, you will need to move the hen to a safe, covered place on her own. She will need access to clean water and food, and a small area to walk around and relieve herself.

It is best to move the hen at night while she is sleepy. Place the fertile eggs under her and keep an eye on her while she incubates the eggs over the next 21 days.

As a hen sits, she is prone to getting parasites such as lice and mites. Check her regularly and take measures against these parasites if needed.

Around 21 days later, the eggs should begin to start hatching. If you see a chick in trouble or find that she is attacking one, you will need to remove it and put it under heat.

The mother hen will teach the chicks to find food and water and they will huddle under her to keep warm, especially for the first few weeks as they grow in their feathers.

Breaking a Broody Hen

While going broody is a completely natural process for hens, it may not be convenient for the health of the hen.

Sitting on eggs can have a serious negative impact on your hen. So, if you don’t have access to fertile eggs, you will need to stop her broody behaviour.

First, you could try as removing her from the nest and collecting eggs regularly. If you do this and she keeps returning to the nest, try luring her out with treats and then blocking off her access to the nest. Also, when dark, try putting her back up on the roost and you may find that she is unlikely to make her way back to the nest during the night.

When hens go broody, their body temperature rises, so if moving her doesn’t work, you will need to reduce her body temperature.

You can do this by placing ice cubes or frozen water bottles in the nest.

If you find you have a stubborn hen that just won’t quit, you may have to put her in a ‘broody breaking box’ also known as ‘Time out.’

To do this, placing her in a wire cage such as a dog carrier without any bedding, though with food and water. It needs to be light, and be raised so that air can pass through underneath. The wire needs to be thick so that her feet don’t get hurt. She may need to be in this cage for a few days for it to work.

Let her out to rejoin her crew, but if you find that she goes back to the nest, you may need to place her back in the box for another few days.

You will know when your hen is not broody anymore as she won’t be sitting and won’t fluff up anyone.

Though breaking a broody hen may seem cruel, it can be kinder than allowing her to sit on an empty nest while her health deteriorates. And, whatever method you choose to use, the earlier you start, the easier it will be to break the broodiness.