A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (54 page)

Not all hens go broody. Hybrids and many of the light laying breeds very rarely start sitting, and if they do they may give up or reject the chicks. Even so, chickens can be full of surprises (see ‘Chickens Don’t Always Follow the Rules’ in
Chapter 4
).

A broody hen will sit firmly in the nest-box and show no interest in food. This could be a sign of illness but the key is her puffed-up feathers. Approach her and she will squawk crossly or make a low growling sound. She may try to peck you but a broody is usually so intent on sitting that she has no energy for anything else.

A very broody hen

Lift her out of the nest-box (wear gloves if she objects strongly). Her breast will feel extra warm and she might have pulled a few feathers out. Place her on the ground. She may sit there in a daze for a few moments, then suddenly come to life and rush off noisily to eat.

A broody hen (as opposed to a sick one) will be keen to eat once awakened from her stupor. She may peck around for a bit but will soon be back on the nest. If you are hoping to hatch some eggs, this is good news – otherwise you will have to dissuade her from sitting.

Dealing with Unwanted Broodiness

An unwanted broody shouldn’t be left to sit – it’s not good for her, the other hens or your egg supplies.

A broody hen only eats, drinks and does a dropping once a day – it’s hard
work. Even if you remove the eggs, she may stay broody for several weeks. This will weaken her; she could even die. Giving a broody some imitation eggs so she can fulfil her instincts is not a kindness.

The broody will stop laying, and may also prevent other hens from using the nest-boxes. The resulting scuffles can result in broken eggs and hens laying elsewhere. The broody will sit on any eggs she sees, keeping them undesirably warm, and starting development in fertile eggs.

This may be annoying but a broody hen is only following her instincts and should be treated kindly – but firmly.

Collecting eggs regularly helps discourage broodiness. Some hens will stop sitting if they are repeatedly removed from the nest-box or shut out of the henhouse for a while.

This can be inconvenient and is unlikely to be successful with determined broodies. The alternative is to put the hen in a separate coop where she can’t sit.

This is a coop with a wire floor, placed on legs or bricks so that the air can circulate underneath. The idea is to cool the hen and prevent her from settling comfortably. You can use a wire dog-crate – take out the floor panel and turn the crate upside down if the mesh on the bottom is too wide.

Using a dog-crate as an anti-broody coop

The broody must stay in this coop for several days so make sure she has shelter from the elements. She must also be safe from predators and vermin (especially if using a dog-crate, which offers no protection). If keeping her indoors lay newspaper under the coop – broody hens do some very unpleasant droppings! Don’t forget food and water.

Give layers’ feed (no corn) to encourage the hen back into lay. You should soon see a change in her – she will be up and about, wondering why she’s in this strange house. Try her back in the flock and see what she does – if she rushes back to the nest-box, she obviously needs more time in the ‘cooler’.

This really works and is much easier than battling with a determined broody all summer. The hen will only be inconvenienced for a few days and will then be able to enjoy the sunshine with her friends again.

If you have breeds that are likely to go broody, be suspicious if one unexpectedly stops laying. Watch her closely or she may disappear one evening, and it will take luck and a good torch to find her – sitting on a big pile of eggs under a bush. We found our Pekin deep in a woodpile one night, just before the light faded.

Occasionally a lost hen comes strolling back with a clutch of chicks in tow, but a hen sitting outside is vulnerable to all kinds of predators.

Deciding to Hatch Some Eggs

Sometimes owners start feeling broody too – what could be more delightful than the patter of tiny claws?

Watching a hen hatch and raise her chicks is fascinating. She will instinctively know what to do and will give her chicks an excellent start, teaching them all the ways of the chicken world.

A broody hen will hatch any eggs – ducks . . . guinea fowl . . . even chicks!

When the chicks are teenagers the hen will return to the flock, leaving the owners to deal with her offspring (chickens really are very intelligent). As mentioned in the previous chapter, there are likely to be several cockerels amongst the chicks.

Consider what will happen to the males before deciding to hatch some eggs. One way around the problem is to buy hatching eggs from a breeder who is prepared to take back the cockerels. The birds will probably be despatched but at least you will know they have been treated responsibly.

Hatching with a Broody Hen

A broody hen will hatch any eggs – they need not even be chicken eggs. Select a breed with strong maternal tendencies (such as a Silkie, Pekin or Wyandotte). Consider also the size of the hen – bantams make great mothers but can’t cover the same number of eggs as an Orpington or Cochin.