Ending Broodiness: Tricks To Get Your Chicken Moving

A broody hen simply means that she thinks she's going to be a mother. She will collect eggs, sit on them, turn them, and peck at anyone who tries to get in her way. While this is a natural behaviour, it can be detrimental to her health, especially if she doesn't have eggs or chicks to tend to. A broody hen will eat and drink less, lose weight, and become dehydrated. To break a broody hen, you need to cool her off and lower her body temperature to reduce the broody hormones. This can be done by separating her into a cool environment with no material for nesting, increasing daylight exposure, or integrating her with more active members of the flock.

Characteristics of a Broody Hen

Separate the chicken from the flock

Separating a broody chicken from the flock can be an effective way to break its broodiness. This method can help to reduce stress in the flock, as broody hens can become protective of their eggs and aggressive towards other chickens that come near their nest.

To separate a broody hen, you can use a chicken tractor, a separate pen, or a broody breaker/broody jail. A broody jail can be a wire dog kennel, a rabbit hutch, or an enclosed pen. It should be elevated to provide plenty of airflow and should not contain any nesting areas or comforts that could encourage nesting behaviour. Food and water must always be provided, and it is important to ensure the broody hen is safe from predators.

You can also separate a broody hen by fencing off a small section of the chicken run or using a large dog crate placed in a shed or on wooden blocks. If using a crate, remove any solid flooring and place the wire bottom into dirt or sand. Provide food and water, and ensure the hen cannot see the rest of the flock.

When separating a broody hen, it is important to keep her active and distracted. You can do this by carrying the hen around for 10-15 minutes to cool her down and expose her to fresh air. You can also offer treats, new "toys", or a pumpkin for the flock to peck at.

It is recommended to separate a broody hen for at least two to four days, and then slowly reintroduce her to the flock. If she returns to the nest, immediately place her back in the separate area.

Separation can be an effective way to break a broody hen's behaviour and improve her health, as broodiness can lead to dehydration, weight loss, nutritional deficiencies, and heat-related issues.

Create an uncomfortable nesting area

Creating an uncomfortable nesting area is one of the ways to stop a chicken from being broody. The goal is to make the broody chicken as bored and uncomfortable as possible. This involves removing all nesting areas, and any warm, dark, and cosy corners that the chicken could hide in. A wire dog crate in a well-lit location is one of the most proven methods. The crate should be placed in a cool location and elevated on wooden beams, cinder blocks, small crates, or anything that is safe and stable to provide plenty of airflow under and around the chicken. The chicken should be placed inside the crate with plenty of food and water, and left there all day and all night.

Chicken wire or a sheet of hardware cloth can be used as flooring for the crate. The wire bottom cage is uncomfortable for the chicken and will help cool down her chest and vent area to reduce her broodiness. The chicken's hormones change when she gets broody, which stops her from producing eggs and elevates her temperature. Therefore, it is important to cool her down and put her in an environment where she cannot nest.

The process of breaking a broody chicken is simply cooling her down so that she no longer has the broody hormones running through her body. Once those hormones lower, the hen will go back to normal and resume laying.

Use a cold water bath

If your chicken is broody, it means that she thinks she's going to be a mother. She will collect eggs, sit on them, turn them, and protect them from any potential threats. While this is a natural tendency, it can be detrimental to the chicken's health. Broody hens lose feathers and weight and also stop laying eggs. They can also be at risk of heatstroke or even death in hot summer weather.

To stop this behaviour, you can use the cold water bath method. Fill a sink or wash tub with a few inches of cold water. Make sure the water is only deep enough to cover the chicken's chest when she sits in the tub. Gently lower the chicken into the bath. The cold water will help to lower the broody hormones in her body, and she will go back to normal behaviour and resume laying.

You can also try placing a clutch of ice cubes into the nest box. This will make it unpleasant for the chicken to sit on, and it will also reduce her temperature.

Another option is to set up a broody breaker cage, sometimes called a 'jail'. This is a cage or pen that discourages a hen from wanting to be broody. The flooring can be wire bottom cages to help cool down the hen's breast or rough litter like sand, cardboard, or shredded paper. The broody breaker should be in a cool location, and you can move the broody hen to it once it's set up.

Remember, it's important to act quickly once you notice broody behaviour to preserve your chicken's health.

Collect eggs frequently

If you have a broody hen on your hands, it is important to address the issue promptly. Broody hens are determined to sit on their eggs and will only leave their nests once or twice a day to eat, drink and defecate. This behaviour can lead to dehydration, weight loss and nutritional deficiencies, which can be life-threatening, especially in hot weather.

One way to stop a chicken from being broody is to collect eggs frequently. A broody hen will try to gather a "clutch" of eggs, even collecting eggs laid by other hens. By removing eggs from the nest throughout the day, you discourage her from settling on them. This method may require persistence and consistency, as your hen might keep returning to the nest. If she does, you can try blocking off the nest box.

To further discourage broodiness, you can separate the hen from the rest of the flock. This can be done by placing her in a cage with a wire bottom, ensuring she has food and water but no bedding. The wire cage is uncomfortable and will help cool her down, reducing broodiness.

Broody hens may also benefit from a cold-water bath. Fill a sink or tub with a few inches of cool water and gently lower the chicken into it. This will help lower her body temperature and reduce her broodiness.

It is important to note that broodiness is a natural tendency driven by hormones, instinct and maturity. While it can occur at any time, chickens are most likely to go broody in the spring or summer. If you are not planning to allow your hen to have chicks, it is best to break her of her broodiness to preserve her health.

Block off the nesting box

If you have a broody hen, one way to stop it from being broody is to block off the nesting box. This method works best if you have only one hen that is being broody. If you have multiple hens that are broody, blocking off the nesting box might not be a good idea as it might stress the other hens out.

If you have other hens that are still laying eggs, blocking off the nesting box is not recommended. This is because the other hens might get stressed out if they haven't laid their eggs for the day. Instead, you can try blocking off access to specific nesting spots. For example, if your hen wants to nest in a corner of the enclosure, blocking off that corner may be enough to remind her not to be broody.

If your hen keeps returning to the nest box, you can block off the entrance to the nest box with a piece of wood. This method works best if you have a wooden hen house. You can also try placing a bucket or other objects in the nest to block the hen from returning.

Another way to block off the nesting box is to place a clutch of ice cubes into the nest box. This will reduce the hen's body temperature, which will, in turn, reduce her broodiness. Hens that are broody have a higher body temperature, so reducing their temperature will help to reduce their broodiness.

If you don't want to use ice cubes, you can try placing a frozen water bottle where the hen sits. This will make it less comfortable for the hen to brood, and the cool temperature will help to reduce her broodiness.

Frequently asked questions