What To Do With A Broody Hen

I often see chicken owners online questioning if they have a broody hen and if they do, what to do about it. There are a few options depending on your desire or lack there of to have baby chicks. (There is a short list of broody behaviors at the bottom of the post.)

For people that live in an area where the number of chickens you can have is greatly restricted and it is unlikely you have a rooster, breaking a broody hen is probably the best solution.  To break a hen from being broody you must remove her from the nest (sometimes no small task) and place her into a separate area (ideally a med size dog cage is best).  There should be no bedding material in the cage to keep her from making another nest.  Food and water should obviously be provided.  If you have a secure place for her to get outside every day for a few hours without the possibility of her running off and creating a new nest, that exercise will do her some good.  It can sometimes take a few weeks to break a broody so stick with it.  She may or may not lay during this period.

For folks that have a rooster and wouldn't mind having some adorable balls of fluff roaming around, by all means let your chicken sit on a clutch of eggs.  It is best once you have confirmed that you have a broody hen that you separate her to her own space.  Sometimes this involves moving the nest.  Putting the hen and her nest into a med - large dog crate or cage is acceptable if you don't have a spare coop or area within your coop to provide her with the privacy she needs.  Remember to provide her with fresh food and water and give her the opportunity to get out and stretch her legs every day.  Typically in 21 days you should have chicks! If for some reason after 25 days there are no peeps (chicks poking through the egg) it is unlikely any will hatch and its time to remove her and discard the eggs to allow her to get back into a regular routine.  If you want to find out if she is sitting on fertile eggs you can candle them.  For more info on "candling" check here:  https://poultrykeeper.com/incubating-and-hatching-eggs/candling-eggs/

Finally, for people like myself that no longer have a Rooster but would like a broody hen to have chicks you can use 1 of  2 methods.  You can inquire with friends or folks online if they have any fertilized eggs they're willing to sell or give to you and then place them under your hen OR you can try to sneak a few baby chicks under your hen at night.  The first method usually works well, the second method is not always successful.  I tried the second method and while fortunately my broody didn't hurt the chicks, she wanted nothing to do with them, so I'm raising 4 baby chicks AND my broody is sitting on acquired eggs. 

Personally I take the natural route, or maybe we could call it the "lazy" route.  I do not candle the eggs.  I section off the broody to her own space in the coop and allow her to do things naturally.  If she wants to get outside to run around I let her and if she is sitting I leave her alone.  If there is no sign of babies after 25 days I will candle the eggs just to make sure and then dispose of them and let her back into the flock. 

As with everything else in chicken husbandry there are multiple methods.  If you have a broody, do your research and pick which method works best for you and your flock.

Broody Behaviors:
>Some hens will pluck their feathers and line the nest
>The hen doesn't want to leave the nest and will be in the nest most of the day
>The hen will become defensive if another chicken or a person approaches the nest
(Do not confuse broodiness with illness, a broody hen will not appear ill - her eyes will be bright and alert, she will be active and otherwise act normally.  If your hen is droopy, appears very tired and/or isn't alert it may be a sign of illness)