How to Stop a Broody Pekin?

Pony Girl

Pony Girl

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I noticed a couple of days ago that Flo is getting broody. She wants to spend all her time on the nest, is hot to touch and has started pulling out her feathers underneath her breast.

What's the best thing to do to help her get back to normal? Our two other banties also use the nest area to lay in during the day so I don't really want to close it off to everyone. They are normally finished laying by 4pm so I could close the pop hole up from then until night time to try and distract Flo. Do you think that would help? I'm worried she's going to start losing condition soon.

Is it OK to just let her be or should I try and intervene to break her of the habit?

How long does the broody period last?
 
Hi,

I am honestly beginning to wonder what normal is as far as broodiness goes. Mothernature seems to be winning hands down. I guess in your case, as in mine its not a viable option to give the broody eggs?

Our Pekin, Lavender, has now been broody on and off for well over a month. Our first attempt at stopping her seemed to work for about a week-10 days. We isolated her and put her in an enclosed run with a separate ark, which had no nesting material. It upset everyone feather and non featherd!. BUT After 3 days she happily rejoined the flock, seemingly back to normal.

After her second broody phase, we dunked her in lukewarm water twice, up to her neck- this was instant- she forgot all about being broody, whilst preening herself- result!

However, this last week the signs were back, exactly as you say...... hot breast, pulled out feathers, and making a distinctive territorial clucking noise, plus sitting in the nest area all day. I haven't the heart to stop her again, and she is currently in a spare small broody/hospital house. This arrangement means she can get on with it, and the others can still lay in their preferred nest box. I do close it up sometime during the day, so that she gets some exercise, and food/water.

I do not have enough experience to comment on losing condition, but I reckon not letting ours be broody is causing far more stress. Mike has other ideas, and reckons she has a date with the bucket again on sat!

I think distraction is the key..... and perseverance. If you really don't want her sitting on eggs, or having chicks then I guess you need to intervene. Also will she actually sit the full 3 weeks. A month ago we thought ours wouldn't, but she is proving to be very stubborn, like her NF mum.

Hope this helps a little...... I found this link extremely helpful. http://poultrykeeper.com/chickens/frequently-asked-questions/how-can-i-stop-a-hen-from-being-broody.html

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Sharron
 
Hello, i am afraid- it's just in pekins nature to go broody- they will give up eventually-if you keep lifting them off and putting them outside and remove any eggs asap- i have 27 broody hens at the moment and more every day now- and i don't keep pekins- if i did i would have 127 :D
regards, David
 
Thank you, Sharron, that's really helpful. It's certainly been a steep learning curve getting chickens!! :)

I will perserve with trying to keep her off the nest and maybe try the lukewarm bath technique at the weekend if she's still at. I'd love to have chicks but we've got no room to have a seperate area for them.

Yours look beautiful, by the way! And I love their house with the plants round the door! How come you have so much lovely grass? What's the shrub to the right off the picture? - looks like they leave that well alone.

We're having a nightmare with our 3 decimating the garden at the moment - only got a tiny garden which they free range during the day, and have absolutely no grass left unfortunately. It wasn't that great to start with (a lot of moss) but is now just mud and we don't have the option of sectioning off bits of the garden for it to regrow.

I was thinking of getting it turfed but everyone says they'll destroy it. We don't have space for a seperate run although our house does have a small run underneath it so the other option would be to only give them access to the garden when we can supervise them. Seems a bit mean after they've got used to free ranging. :?

Any ideas?
 
Davidd said:
Hello, i am afraid- it's just in pekins nature to go broody- they will give up eventually-if you keep lifting them off and putting them outside and remove any eggs asap- i have 27 broody hens at the moment and more every day now- and i don't keep pekins- if i did i would have 127 :D
regards, David
Click to expand...

Wow! It's good to know I'm not alone! I guess it's nature's way. Seems a shame to mess with it but don't like the thought of her losing too much condition (and feathers). Do they pull them out because they get hot?
 
Hi,

Thankyou for your kind comments about the garden. Believe me there was a lot more 3 months ago, and the front of their house was lined with flowers, shrubs etc... It was our sunken suntrap/patio area, but now its theirs. The shrub to the right is in fact a Cornflower perennial, which they have left alone until now. They have noticed the purple flowers coming through and stretch their necks to nibble. To the right of that is a rosemary bush which they don't touch. In front are what is left from 6 heathers,to the left out of view remains of montbretia and aquilegas. I have noticed they seem to leave firmly established plants with no new buds or shoots alone, i.e. all my evergreens. The grass area is quite large, so they don't have the opportunity to wear down one particular area. Have noticed that we don't have to cut the grass quite as much as at the front of the house. ;)

As you say once they have free-ranged you can't really go back.....

As for ideas- purchase evergreens, hanging baskets or wall troughs. Am surpised mine havn't eaten the Jasmine or hollyhocks shoots and they have completely left my beautiful purple hellebore alone, so there are some plus points. Just noticed my wild geranium has been eaten, and the new fern growth is unfurling- Mike won't be happy if they munch those.


I do agree, its a huge learning curve, and much more hands on keeping chickens that I would have believed. Some nights its a relief when they are tucked up in bed, knowing both they and I have got through another day! I love them to bits, but forget that they are only chickens......

Sharron x
 
I know exactly what you mean! Husband 2 Be thinks I'm mad but I can't help fussing over them! :lol:

I'm going to get some garden mesh from B&Q later to try and protect the plants we've got until they've got a bit more established. I planted some evergreens (camelia) but they still had a go at decimating the flowers. Poor garden! I've tried feeding the girls greens but they'd much rather have plants. Phantom enjoyed the worms that I dug up anyway. ;)

Other than that then it'll be hanging baskets and pots.

Flo is still being broody but I've managed to keep her out of the nest for at least a few hours everyday.

elmwood said:
Hi,

Thankyou for your kind comments about the garden. Believe me there was a lot more 3 months ago, and the front of their house was lined with flowers, shrubs etc... It was our sunken suntrap/patio area, but now its theirs. The shrub to the right is in fact a Cornflower perennial, which they have left alone until now. They have noticed the purple flowers coming through and stretch their necks to nibble. To the right of that is a rosemary bush which they don't touch. In front are what is left from 6 heathers,to the left out of view remains of montbretia and aquilegas. I have noticed they seem to leave firmly established plants with no new buds or shoots alone, i.e. all my evergreens. The grass area is quite large, so they don't have the opportunity to wear down one particular area. Have noticed that we don't have to cut the grass quite as much as at the front of the house. ;)

As you say once they have free-ranged you can't really go back.....

As for ideas- purchase evergreens, hanging baskets or wall troughs. Am surpised mine havn't eaten the Jasmine or hollyhocks shoots and they have completely left my beautiful purple hellebore alone, so there are some plus points. Just noticed my wild geranium has been eaten, and the new fern growth is unfurling- Mike won't be happy if they munch those.


I do agree, its a huge learning curve, and much more hands on keeping chickens that I would have believed. Some nights its a relief when they are tucked up in bed, knowing both they and I have got through another day! I love them to bits, but forget that they are only chickens......

Sharron x
Click to expand...
 
Two of my Pekins have just stopped being broody naturally after about 3 weeks each - I did post about it a few weeks ago on here as I was worried about leaving them be. Mine were really determined, in the end I'd wait until the non broody one had laid her egg for the day (when only one was broody) and then throw the other out and lock up the house until bed time. When the second one started I just locked them both out all day.

They'd usually spend some time pecking around the garden as usual but more time on top of the hen house looking like fluffy pekin pancakes (all flat and round). One of them screamed whenever I picked her up, just like a baby. Their cock would sit with them for much of the time, and looked really lonely when he was wandering round on his own.

I was just steeling myself to put them in water like Sharron suggested, then one day they were back to normal. They didn't appear to lose condition, I think because they were still pecking around for some of the time, and in the fresh air. I put poultry spice in the feed too. I'm glad now I didn't do anything, but maybe will think again if they do it again too soon as I had 3 weeks with no eggs at all. Yours had not long started laying either had they ?
 
Yes, they only just started laying the week before Easter, so I feel a bit hard done by! It's only Flo at the moment, so still getting some eggs luckily.

I've decided to let Flo get on with it after all. I did attempt to give her a dunk over the weekend but felt so mean, poor little thing! She was so good and didn't struggle at all, but it had no effect whatsoever!

Everytime you take her out of the nestbox, she flies straight back up the ladder. We tried 12 times in a row just to see how persistent she'd be and she showed no signs of giving up. The others have still been able to lay around her, although she does nick their eggs after they've gone! Once they've laid for the day I make sure I shut the nestbox off until bedtime so at least she's getting out and about in the fresh air for at least 3 hrs a day.

She's starting to look a bit bedraggled so I hope she stops soon.

Pekin pancakes, bless!


dawn said:
Two of my Pekins have just stopped being broody naturally after about 3 weeks each - I did post about it a few weeks ago on here as I was worried about leaving them be. Mine were really determined, in the end I'd wait until the non broody one had laid her egg for the day (when only one was broody) and then throw the other out and lock up the house until bed time. When the second one started I just locked them both out all day.

They'd usually spend some time pecking around the garden as usual but more time on top of the hen house looking like fluffy pekin pancakes (all flat and round). One of them screamed whenever I picked her up, just like a baby. Their cock would sit with them for much of the time, and looked really lonely when he was wandering round on his own.

I was just steeling myself to put them in water like Sharron suggested, then one day they were back to normal. They didn't appear to lose condition, I think because they were still pecking around for some of the time, and in the fresh air. I put poultry spice in the feed too. I'm glad now I didn't do anything, but maybe will think again if they do it again too soon as I had 3 weeks with no eggs at all. Yours had not long started laying either had they ?
Click to expand...
 
Well my Lavender Pekin is well and truly a pekin pancake!

We have given up- she is totally determined, so by the weekend she will have her eggs to sit on, and at last the beach pebble will be no more! We have only organised two, and if they turn out to be cockerals our poultry lady will kindly re-home them.

You watch, she now won't sit for the full term!

Sharron x
feeling bedraggled myself!!!!
 
elmwood said:
Well my Lavender Pekin is well and truly a pekin pancake!

We have given up- she is totally determined, so by the weekend she will have her eggs to sit on, and at last the beach pebble will be no more! We have only organised two, and if they turn out to be cockerals our poultry lady will kindly re-home them.

You watch, she now won't sit for the full term!

Sharron x
feeling bedraggled myself!!!!
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But what happens when she goes broody next ? She'll expect it from now on and at the rate she goes you'll be overun with chicks by the end of the summer. :D And then there's the other 4 of them still to go broody...

A friend offerred me some eggs. They were large fowl sussex and I didn't think my little rooster would be able to climb on board, and I want some more ladies to give the other two a break. He's very loving ;) Also my friend said he'd have any roosters back, but he eats his spare ones.
 
So even if the eggs hatch successfully and she is devoted to their care, she is still likely to go broody again?

I thought when the "need to have chicks" was fulfilled, the broodiness went away? Oh dearie me, thanks for cheering me up!!

I doubt the others will go broody, they are so put out by Lavenders antics//hogging the nest box and hormonal moods, they have been put off or wouldn't dare.......
 
I'm no expert as you know Sharron, but from looking at next door's hens (they breed them naturally so the hens hatch and look after the chicks) they only stay motherly for about 4 - 6 weeks after hatching then the chicks are left to fend for themselves and mum is back to normal. That means laying and potentially going broody. The chicks are so cute though and there is something so lovely about seeing a mother hen looking after them, I'll look forward to the baby pictures :)
 
Hi folks,

Well lavender is sitting tight on a clutch of 6 eggs. 4 Polands & 2 Pekins. Polands are on loan from our poultry lady, who will be having the chicks back, and the Pekins are for us- any cockerals will also go to the poultry lady. Anyway am a very proud NF mum, our Lavender is taking her sitting duties very seriously and is devoted to the nest.

Can't wait......4th June we could have six little darling chicks? There will be photos and little movies and more photos. :lol:
 
I'm sure Lavender will make a brilliant mum. Keep us posted!

elmwood said:
Hi folks,

Well lavender is sitting tight on a clutch of 6 eggs. 4 Polands & 2 Pekins. Polands are on loan from our poultry lady, who will be having the chicks back, and the Pekins are for us- any cockerals will also go to the poultry lady. Anyway am a very proud NF mum, our Lavender is taking her sitting duties very seriously and is devoted to the nest.

Can't wait......4th June we could have six little darling chicks? There will be photos and little movies and more photos. :lol:
Click to expand...
 
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