Southern Charm DIY's video: HOW TO GET A HEN TO GO BROODY WHAT IS A BROODY HEN SIGNS OF BROODY HEN

HOW TO GET A HEN TO GO BROODY ~ WHAT IS A BROODY HEN ~ SIGNS OF BROODY HEN First, you need to know the “symptoms” of a broody hen. The most common sign is that she won’t come out of the nesting box for food or at roosting time. The hen may also fluff up her feathers, growl and peck at you, but that can happen if she’s just laying an egg. Many people refer on BYC Forum to a classic “broody stare” and “a broody hen pancake”. These two things are in reference to a somewhat “flattened” appearance caused by the fluffing of the feathers, spreading of the hen’s wings, closely tucked head and neck, and the hen’s chest tightly nestled into the nesting material. She will appear to be “one with the nest”, so as to be “invisible” and to provide the most heat for the eggs; which is quite evident if you reach underneath her. My broody hens always “screeched” when I went to check the eggs underneath them, and I would often have to “pry” them off the nest, as they wouldn’t want to stand up! A very determined broody hen will often pluck out her breast feathers (called a “broody patch”) to provide heat and humidity for the incubating eggs. Another way to “test” is to remove her from the nesting box and watch her actions. Sometimes, she’ll stay in the “sitting” position for a few minutes before starting to walk around. Often, they’ll also make a weird sound, like a “ticking”, and their feathers will be all fluffed out (to twice their normal size) when walking among the other hens. If they are truly broody, though, they’ll simply return back to sitting on the eggs, but they’ll often forget which nesting box they were in before. HOW TO GET A HEN TO GO BROODY ~ WHAT IS A BROODY HEN ~ SIGNS OF BROODY HEN Discouraging a Broody Hen If you don’t want the broody hen to hatch out any eggs, the most common advice is to remove her from the nesting box or wherever she is sitting on the eggs. It’s best to place the broody hen in a brightly lit (not in full sun, though) isolation cage without bedding for several days to a week. I usually use a wire-floored rabbit cage and place it where she can see the other hens, but is out of the weather. If the hen is really determined, you might have to raise the cage up off the ground, so that air flows underneath. You still need to feed and water the hen, but the main idea is to prevent her from getting into the nesting boxes or wherever she wants to sit on those eggs. Some people have given their hens a cold bath, placed ice cubes under them in the nesting box, and many other hilarious methods that occasionally work. Most people have great success with “breaking a broody hen”, but some hens are very determined and will be constantly in the “Broody Buster Cage”. If you have a die-hard broody and don’t want to use her for hatching eggs, you might consider finding her a home who’d love to have a broody hen. HOW TO GET A HEN TO GO BROODY ~ WHAT IS A BROODY HEN ~ SIGNS OF BROODY HEN Encouraging and Utilizing a Broody Hen 700 700 For those who are looking to be more self-sufficient in terms of raising replacements in their flock, broody hens are a very useful asset. Others love them simply as an “enabler” of the “Morehens disease” or for the cuteness of those fluffy little chicks. Broody hens don’t have to lay all the eggs they incubate, as they’ll gladly accept donations from the other hens in the flock. Broody hens can also be used to raise other species of poultry, including ducks and guineas. Some hens will even adopt chicks from a hatchery or an incubator, but other hens reject them. Everyone agrees, though, that whenever you move the hen or add chicks not hatched by the hen, it is best to do it when it’s dark. While you can’t hatch out as many chicks as you would in an incubator or order from a hatchery, it’s a fun way to raise baby chicks. "Making a Hen Go Broody" While many chicken keepers are eventually “blessed” with a broody hen, there are some who would like to “make a hen go broody”. Unfortunately, there isn’t a tried-and-true method to “make” a broody hen, due to that it’s mostly brought on by genetics, hormones and instincts. Some people, however, have been successful in encouraging a hen to go broody be leaving real or fake eggs in the nesting box. Or some will enclose them in a separate darkened area with a nest of (fake) eggs, in hopes that the hen will “become broody”. Most of the time, though, the hens will decide the best time to raise a clutch, and we have to adapt our “plans” to theirs. A lot has to do with the breed of the hen, but even with the common broody breeds such as Silkies, Cochins, Game Hens, Buff Orps, not every single hen will go broody. Then, there’s the unusual case where the less broody breeds will go broody, such as the Black Sex Link and White Easter Egger hens in my flock. HOW TO GET A HEN TO GO BROODY ~ WHAT IS A BROODY HEN ~ SIGNS OF BROODY HEN Subscribe https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJaKuROdC9Q