How to stop a broody hen? Some hens will remain in the broody stage if left unattended for several weeks. When this happens, they don’t eat or exercise as much and lose their condition. It is kind to stop a broody when you don’t want it to hatch eggs or if the hen is brooding at the wrong time of the year. Hen’s broodiness can be broken, but taking action right away is essential because the longer she stays broody, the more determined she will become.
Hens lay eggs in a nest. Some can take considerable time to contemplate before and after laying, so finding a hen sitting on a nest doesn’t necessarily mean the hen is broody. There’s a need to determine the signs of broody in your hen because it might not be broody, Hens occasionally sleep in nest boxes, and if a bully is present, they might hide in a nest box.
How to stop a broody hen?
If you do not want your hens to go broody, you must act quickly to break the broodiness as soon as you notice the signs. There are some techniques you can follow to break the broodiness;
Remove the eggs from the nestbox or remove the hen from the nestbox
Don’t allow the eggs to accumulate to prevent broodiness. A broody hen will typically return to the nest after the eggs have been removed and may even exchange nests if the hen notices eggs that other hens have laid, so do well to collect eggs as frequently as possible.
How to break a broody hen with water
Cooling off: You can break broodiness by cooling off the hen. This is done by wetting the breast feathers so that the hen’s temperature will drop, and the hen might forget about brooding.
Shutting the hen out
Shutting a broody hen out from the nesting area is quite a successful technique, but it’s a disadvantage because you could stop other birds from entering the coop to lay.
Broody hen cage
Although it seems cruel, this is the most successful technique. Broody hens are kept in a cage away from the flock and eggs until broodiness wears off.
The most successful technique: A broody hen cage
In contrast to a broody hen house, the broody hen cage does the reverse. It is light and airy; she is discouraged from sitting because there is nowhere to nest and no nesting material. This may seem not kind, but this technique works.
If I place a broody hen in the broody hen cage within a few days of her being broody, she often loses all broodiness within two to three days. The longer a hen has been broody, the longer it can take to break her broodiness and get her back to egg-laying.
The broody cage must;
- Have a place to sit or nest
- Have a wire floor with air circulation
- Be raised off the floor on bricks
- Be placed in a bright location out of direct sunlight
- Have food and water
You can reintroduce her once she has ceased clucking and is acting more like a typical hen. Chickens separated from the herd may experience bullying just like a new hen. After a broody phase, other hens may confront her if she is a little weaker and out of condition. The flock will need to re-establish their pecking order.
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