Betty Goes Broody

Broody hens can be a problem, unless ofcourse you are looking to hatch chicks without an artificial incubator. The reasons for me as to why a broody hen can be a problem are, firstly Betty has decided to go broody on the communal nest, so therefore the other 6 hens are having difficulty laying, hence I have found eggs all over the back garden, in the coop and other random places around the property.

 

Secondly the broody hen can make themselves unwell by sitting on the nest too long. When a hen is brooding over a fretile clutch of eggs, of course the eggs eventually hatch, usually within 2 weeks or so, however when a hen sits on a clutch of unfertile eggs, they ofcourse do not hatch, therefore the hen sits too long, they tend not to eat much or drink much as they are constantly on the nest, this in turn makes the bird weak, open to illnesses.

Ways to stop a broody hen are , taking the hen off the nest as much as possible, remove the eggs from the nest, and in extreme cases, remove the bird from the nest and place in a dark box for a couple of days, making sure she has food and water, this should stop them.