Video Blog on Broody Hen

I wrote a blog post a few weeks ago about Broody Hens and now we have one! Many chicken owners won’t experience a Broody Hen so I thought a video blog would be a good idea. I did a series of videos for Facebook so I compiled them into this post.

If viewing on your mobile device, I recommend switching to landscape (turning sideways). I couldn’t get the formatting to work 🙁

Day 1 – Broody Hen

What is a Broody Hen? A broody hen is a chicken that wants to hatch eggs. Her hormones, mostly Prolactin, have increased and kicked in. As a result, a Broody won’t leave the nest box. You may hear growling as she tries to scare you away. Some Broodys are fiercely protective and will peck you to keep you from getting the eggs.

Day 2 – Keeping the Nest Warm

Chickens will puff up to trap air between their feathers to keep the nest warm. Sometimes Broody’s will pull their breast feathers out to increase the temperature. This is referred to as a broody patch. A chicken’s internal temperature is 105-109 degrees Fahrenheit. For the eggs to develop, they have to be kept between 99- and 102- degrees Fahrenheit.

Day 3 – Rarely Leaves the Nest

They will leave the nest once a day to eat, poop, and get some water. Usually for just a few minutes. Because of this, Broodys will lose a significant amount of weight. They may dust bathe but mine rarely do. So, they will also be susceptible to mites. Keep the bedding clean. I’ll use a small amount of food grade DE around the edge of the brooder and nest.

Day 4 – Clutch of Eggs

The Broody will build a clutch of eggs and even steal the other hen’s egg and move them to her nest. She knows there’s a good chance that all the eggs won’t hatch . However, a large bird like Hazel can easily hatch 12-15 eggs.

Day 5 – Pecking Injuries

Because she won’t leave the nest, the other girls will peck her. Most flocks have a favorite nest box. It’s recommended to have one box per three birds. However, ours will wait in line instead of using the other nest box.

You may see pecking injuries to the comb and wattles. There are several things you can apply to the comb to aid in healing. Each has their own benefits: Iodine, Neosporin without pain relief, and BluKote.

Day 6 – Still broody

If you have a good broody, she will stay on the nest for 21 days. However, some will abandon the nest after a few days and return to the flock and their normal chicken behavior. Broodys do not lay eggs during this period, so having one is not beneficial for the egg laying industry. Because of this, the hens have been bred to be less broody.

At this point, if you are not going to hatch eggs, you may want to move her to another location or try to break her. To make the transition easier, move at night when she is sleepy and can’t see (chickens have night blindness). I move the entire nest and bedding.

Breaking a Broody

Breaking a broody hen is not easy. However, because of the decrease in food and water intake, it may be better for her health to try and break her. If you notice the color of their comb fading and becoming floppy, you may need to take action.

I’ve heard of people playing recordings of baby chicks for their Broody. It’s thought that once they hear the peeps of the chicks, their hormones will subside. I haven’t tried this yet. Check out my previous blog post on what I have tried.

Not all Broodys will be good mothers. Some will even attack the babies. If you introduce the chicks during the day, the Broody may reject them. Placing at night increases the chance of acceptance.

It’s truly amazing watching a Mother Hen with the chicks. She knows exactly what to do. If you want to hatch eggs or raise chicks, a good Broody is worth it.