Broody or not

[Jen O]

Hi All I hope you can reassure or give advise.

One on my hens is in the coop all the time nesting and is reluctant to leave. If I pick her up and put her outside she seems fine, but then returns to the coop very shortly after. When I moved her this afternoon she was a little unsteady on her feet, but once outside was walking normally. She is eating and drinking, but not rushing for the scraps like the others. She is sitting on a couple of false eggs, her own and others from the other chickens in the run. Is this a broody chicken? Will she come out of it in a few days?

Advice please.

many thanks
Jen O

 

[chrismahon]

We've had two (and still have them) gone 'quietly' broody. No fluffed up feathers or spread wings, just kept going in the nest box. Couple of days in and the squalks started, they went all floppy and their hackles raised when disturbed. I'd say she was about to go broody Jen. She won't come out of it quickly, ours haven't. They have actually got progressively worse.

 

[Marigold]

If you don't want her to hatch chicks it will be kindest to try to break her of her broodiness as otherwise she will become deeply broody, will sit for weeks and her health will suffer, to no advantage. Get rid of the other eggs from the nestbox, and during the day, shut her in a corner of the run (with shelter, food and water but no treats) so her brood patch on her hot chest can begin to cool down. At night, put big flowerpots in the nestboxes to stop her going in there and let her in to the coop to roost, so long as she is on the perch and not on the floor. You are trying to cool down her chest and reduce the level of hormones which are flooding her body.
She will eventually come out of it even if you do nothing, but this may take weeks and her health will suffer from lack of exercise and regular food and drink. There are quite a lot of other threads about breaking a broody, with other suggestions about how best to do it, but all the methods focus on keeping her cool and out of the nestbox. Do let us know how you get on. It's quite normal, especially for purebred hens, nothing to worry about but a bit of a nuisance until you can talk her out of it!

 

[Jen O]

Thank you for the helpful advise. I will try and break the broodiness by keeping her out of the coop for as longs poss during the day. I don't think I could leave her out at night though as there are too many foxes around and would hate to loose her.
thanks Jen

 

[foxy]

I am sure she is broody...just to make sure though other signs are:

Growling and fluffing up in nest box

When taking off the nest very grumpy, puffing up feathers and can behave aggressively to flock mates.

Bare chest from plucking feathers usually in a strip from their belly, coupled with increase in temperature in order to keep eggs warm and increase contact.

"Cuddling" or "cupping" your hand when slipped palm facing up underneath her when she is on the nest.