NAVIGATION
If you’re learning the ins and outs of raising chickens and all the lingo that goes along with it, you might have heard reference to a broody hen, so it’s a fair question to wonder—what is a broody hen?
Basically, broodiness is an obsession with hatching eggs. It’s what happens when your hen’s mothering instinct takes over, whether or not she has fertilized eggs.
While it’s a natural – and necessary – part of the cycle of life, unexpected broodiness can disrupt egg production and throw off the dynamics of an otherwise happy flock. There’s no way around it: broody hens are a handful.
It’s like a switch flips, and even the sweetest hen can become a full-on drama queen. Recognizing the signs of a broody hen is an integral part of raising chickens, but knowing how to stop a broody hen is even more important.
Hi, I’m Ryan
Despite the extra effort it takes to stop a broody hen when broodiness happens in my flock, I can’t help but appreciate seeing these fierce mothering instincts firsthand. I’ve been doing this for a while, and I’m sharing my best tips for how to break a broody hen and the reasons why you might want to.
What Is A Broody Hen?
In a nutshell, a broody hen is a chicken that only wants to incubate eggs. It consumes their entire life, and it’s what happens when the hen’s hormones and instincts take over, and they lose sight of everything else. They become attached to their nest and are obsessed with turning it into a suitable environment for their young.
Broodiness is so deeply ingrained in hens that when one goes broody, even basic biological functions like eating and drinking take a backseat to their reproductive drive. Even so, it is a natural part of raising chickens and can occur in all egg-laying hens, regardless of age or breed.
How To Break A Broody Hen
As necessity dictates, I’ve gotten pretty good at breaking broody hens. It’s a legitimate part of the work that needs to be done if you’ve been raising chickens for years, and these tips and strategies have worked the best for me. For the most successful outcome, I recommend that you take action as soon as you notice broody hen symptoms. Breaking the hen early in her broody cycle will help minimize stress and ensure she bounces back with ease.
- Get rid of the eggs – Gently reach under the hen and remove all the eggs from the nest. This will likely cause a reaction from your hen, and you can expect her to notice the loss and possibly show signs of confusion or agitation. Take it in stride; this is part of what needs to be done. In my experience, even the most flustered hens lose interest in their nests after two or three days.
- Cool things down – Broodiness is tied to heat, so a dip in temperature can trigger your hen to end her broody cycle. I usually move my broody hen to a wire crate to create more airflow, but you can also try placing a fan in her nest to help cool things down.
- Take the hen out of her nest – Carefully remove the broody hen from her nest, and block off the entrance so she can’t return. She won’t be happy, but the break in routine should be enough to disrupt her broodiness. After a few days, the urge to brood should completely subside, and she’ll go back to her regular/normal routine.
- Keep nesting materials to a minimum – It goes without saying, but a plush, comfortable nest makes broody hens more likely to sit for extended periods of time. Whenever I need to break a broody hen, I try to make the nest as unattractive as possible. I strip away the excess straw and hay, leaving her with just a bare box.
- Give your hen frozen treats – I know it sounds a little weird, but offering your broody hen cold water or treats, like frozen fruit and veggies, can help lower her body temperature, and it’s another way to “cool off” those broody hormones.
- Put the hen in time out – Time out isn’t just for kids! For real, though, putting your hen in isolation and cutting her off from social stimuli can help lessen her broody hormones. Simply move the hen to a separate holding area, far away from the rest of your flock, for three days. Then, introduce the hen back to the flock. If she immediately returns to her nest, isolate her for an additional two days.
- Break a broody hen with water – I don’t recommend this method unless you’ve exhausted all your other options, but as a last resort, a quick dip into cold water is an extremely effective way to break the broodiness. To pull it off, carefully lower the hen’s rear and abdomen into a bucket of cold water until her feathers are soaked. I always follow this up by drying the hen with a blow dryer on low to medium heat. It dries them off in minutes, and they actually all seem to love it. Repeat the process up to several times a day until she stops being broody. Although effective, this method is stressful for your hen. It’s also a hypothermia risk, making it unsuitable for winter months.
If one method isn’t working, try another. Combining various methods or using them in succession can be more effective than relying on just one.
What Are The Signs Of A Broody Hen?
I can immediately tell that one of my hens has gone broody when she refuses to leave her nesting box for an extended period of time. Overall, they tend to become more aggressive and squawk or cluck to assert dominance over the nesting area.
Other signs of a broody hen include a rise in body temperature and physical changes as your hen’s priorities shift. She’ll stop preening and may start to pluck out her breast feathers so she can have skin-to-skin contact with her eggs. Plus, broody hens consume roughly 80% less feed, leading them to drop a ton of weight.
But the change I find most challenging is the broody poops. Most hens poop throughout the day, often totaling 12 or more times. That’s normal. But when broody, hens want to avoid soiling their nest or leaving eggs unattended. As a result, they store their poop and limit bathroom breaks to just once or twice a day. The ensuing broody poop is extremely large, greenish-brown, and – most notably – smells horrendous.
When Does A Hen Go Broody?
Broody hen behavior can start up at any time of the year, but it’s most common in the spring and summer. The rising temperatures can trigger hormonal changes that stimulate brooding instincts in hens. However, I’ve had one or two chickens go broody in the dead of winter, so there are exceptions to this rule. Other factors that can cause the onset of broodiness include breed, the availability of suitable nests, flock social dynamics, and the length of daylight hours.
How Long Does A Hen Stay Broody?
From what I’ve seen, most hens stay broody for about three weeks – which is the same length of time it takes fertilized chicken eggs to hatch. After that, hens without chicks will stop being broody and revert to their normal behavior. They’ll abandon their nests and go back to spending time socializing in and around the coop. Hens with fertilized eggs will stop being broody once their eggs hatch. After that, their focus shifts toward feeding and protecting their young.
How Long Does It Take To Stop A Broody Hen?
It typically takes between three days to a week to stop a broody hen, but I’ve seen it take as many as two weeks. Extremely stubborn hens may stay broody even longer, and you might have to let things sort themselves out naturally. Broodiness is tied to an individual hen’s genetics and personality, so there’s a lot of variability with how things can play out.
How Many Eggs Can A Broody Hen Lay On?
While a fully-sized broody hen can lay on up to 14 to 16 eggs, I recommend keeping it to 12 or less. Any more, and the chicken may become uncomfortable. Hatchability rates also decline when there are more than a dozen or so eggs in a nest. Keep in mind that this is in proportion to the chicken’s size. So, while a bantam chicken can lay on up to 12 bantam eggs at a time, they can only incubate four to six eggs from a larger breed.
Pros And Cons Of A Broody Hen
At the end of the day, broodiness is a double-edged sword that can either enhance your flock or throw it out of whack. I’ll shed some light on some of the specific pros and cons of broodiness, so you can determine its place in your flock.
Pros Of Having A Broody Hen
- Increased egg production: It may seem counterintuitive (after all, broody hens don’t lay eggs), but having some of your hens go broody can cause the other hens to lay more eggs. Because broody hens spend more time in their nests, there’s less competition for the other hens. The increase in resources can encourage them to pick up production.
- Increased flock size: The biggest advantage to broody hens is that they incubate eggs and raise chicks naturally. And a broody hen’s mothering instinct isn’t limited to her own eggs. Most broody hens will happily take on abandoned eggs from other chickens. Some may even accept eggs from other species, like ducks and guinea fowl.
- Improved flock dynamics: If you’re like me and rely on chickens for pest control, broody hens are second to none. They do an amazing job of teaching their chicks how to forage, find safe hiding places, and navigate the intricate social dynamics of a flock. As a result, hen-raised chicks often have an easier time finding food and integrating into a flock.
- Reduced stress: Broody hens incubate their eggs outside without the need for expensive incubation equipment. In addition to decreasing your workload, skipping the incubator will lead to lower energy costs.
- Bonding and education: There’s no better way to understand the intricacies of animal husbandry than by watching it take place firsthand. Allowing your hens to remain broody will give you an incredible insight into their reproductive cycle and may even help you feel closer to your flock.
Cons Of Having a Broody Hen
- Health risks: My main concern with broodiness is that it can cause a myriad of long-term health issues that the hen can have a hard time recovering from. Some of the specific risks include:
- Weight loss and dehydration
- Increased risk of egg binding
- Increased susceptibility to parasites
- Reduced egg laying: Once a hen goes broody, she’ll stop laying eggs. And if you’re already struggling with one broody hen, the situation might become dire as broodiness spreads throughout your flock. Like dominoes falling, your hens may all suddenly decide to stop laying, causing a severe drop in egg production. This can be disastrous if you rely on the eggs for income.
- Broody hens are inconsistent: Broodiness is incredibly unpredictable. Hens might become broody during the wrong time of year or end their broodiness cycle abruptly – before the eggs have a chance to hatch. Depending on how long the eggs are abandoned, they may become unviable.
- Increased aggression: The increase in aggression displayed by broody hens can make things tense for you and your flock. She may become more hostile and peck at you if you try to handle her. And the aggression isn’t limited to humans. Broody hens are more likely to fight with other hens over viable nesting space. This can disrupt the flock’s social hierarchy, causing unnecessary stress.
- It can be a waste of time: Without a rooster present, hens can’t reproduce, and no amount of incubating will cause an unfertilized egg to hatch. But your hen isn’t concerned about the viability of the eggs. She’ll incubate the eggs for weeks, putting her life at risk for nothing.
How To Make A Hen Go Broody
There’s no magic pill to cause broodiness, as it’s a natural instinct brought on by a variety of internal and external stimuli. In fact, some hens will never go broody – even if the conditions are perfect. That said, you can encourage broodiness by setting the right environment and giving your hen cues that it’s time to incubate. And while there’s no guarantee it’ll work, I can usually get 1 in 4 of my hens to go broody by using the following techniques.
To make a hen broody, make sure she has a warm, comfortable nest with plenty of nesting material. Give her ample food and fresh water, and place the feeding stations near the nest so she doesn’t have to go far. Next, place a few real or fake eggs into her nest, as the presence of eggs can help trigger a hen’s hormones. You can also move the nesting box to a more secluded area or quarantine her with other broody hens.
The lack of competition for resources and increased privacy can make her feel more inclined to brood. Furthermore, some chicken breeds are more prone to broody hen behavior than others. So, opting for breeds that are known for this trait will increase the likelihood of your hens becoming broody. Some of the breeds known for being broody, including: Silkies, Cochins, Brahmas and Buff Orpingtons.
Broody Hen FAQ
I’ve covered a lot of info so far, but you might still have a few questions. Below, I’ll tackle some common questions about how to handle broody hens, their health, and eggs.
Can a broody hen die? Yes, being broody can cause a hen to die. As I mentioned earlier, broody hens consume substantially less food and water than their non-broody counterparts. That leaves them susceptible to dehydration, nutritional deficiencies, and starvation. Moreover, they don’t preen as often as needed to maintain their health. Therefore, they become much more susceptible to life-threatening bacterial infections and parasites.
Should you move a broody hen? You can move a broody hen, but you’ll want to go about it as carefully and gently as possible. In addition to potential malnourishment and dehydration, their bodies can also become locked up due to the lack of movement. It’s also important to note that moving your hen from her nest – even temporarily – may cause her to abandon the nest and eggs. For that reason, I only recommend moving a broody hen if you’re trying to break the broodiness or if it’s an emergency.
Can you take eggs from a broody hen? Taking eggs from a broody hen is possible, but you’ll want to proceed with caution. Broody hens are extremely dedicated to their nest, so removal can cause stress and/or aggression. But, without a rooster, the eggs will be unfertilized and may rot or go stale. So, if you plan on taking the eggs away from a broody hen, do it as early in the broodiness cycle as possible.
What can you do if a broody hen refuses to eat? Broody hens are finicky, so there’s no way to force them to eat. That said, making sure she has a private feeder and fresh water source can go a long way. I also recommend offering her some of her favorite high-calorie treats. That will help restore her missing nutrients more quickly.
How can you tell if the eggs under a broody hen are viable? If you have a rooster present, there’s a chance that the eggs are fertilized. My preferred method of determining viability is to candle the eggs. About a week into the incubation, gently remove one of the eggs from the hen. In a dark room, hold the egg up to a bright light source.
How To Tell If Broody Hen Eggs Are Viable
- Viable eggs have a network of blood vessels coming from the embryo. You may also see a dark spot or some movement as the embryo responds to the light.
- Unfertilized eggs remain clear throughout.
- Eggs with dead embryos will typically have a poorly defined dark mass with no blood vessels radiating from it.
When moving a broody hen, reach around her backside rather than the front end. You want to avoid being close to her beak as broody hens are more aggressive and may strike you.
Broodiness has its advantages and disadvantages, but I’ve come to realize that it all comes down to timing. Broody hens can increase the size and quality of your flock, saving you time, money, and a whole lot of stress. But they’re also more vulnerable to illness and can throw off the dynamics of a flock. Ultimately, knowing what to do with a broody hen and when and how to break the cycle will help you ensure your chicks remain happy, healthy, and productive.
Your turn!
- Have you ever broken a broody hen? If so, which method did you use?
- Incubator or broody hen: how do you prefer raising your chicks?
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