My sisters have a chicken who just won't stop being broody. We don't want any more chicks at the moment, and they've tried all their usual tricks, but this hen just won't go back to normal. Any ideas or tips to break a broody hen out of her broodiness?
We put ours in a cage for two or three days and they get better though some chickens might try two to three different times during the year. Try and let them get a little light while caged and I read once if they lay an egg you don't have to wait the full three days. I will be honest, many times two days will do it and one will not.
Cheers
Quote from: The15thMember on August 08, 2023, 02:57:29 PM
My sisters have a chicken who just won't stop being broody. We don't want any more chicks at the moment, and they've tried all their usual tricks, but this hen just won't go back to normal. Any ideas or tips to break a broody hen out of her broodiness?
If gww
s way don't work, try the following.
Pick the bird up and wait for it to calm down. Grab the bird's legs with your nondominant hand. Gently rotate the chicken so that their feet are pointing up towards your chest. Grip both of the bird's feet firmly near the base of their backside to keep the bird still. Wrap your fingers around the bird's neck. You get the picture, if completed this will stop a broody chicken 'every time'!! ..
:shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :wink: :grin:
Quote from: Ben Framed on August 08, 2023, 04:23:07 PM
If gwws way don't work, try the following.
Pick the bird up and wait for it to calm down. Grab the bird's legs with your nondominant hand. Gently rotate the chicken so that their feet are pointing up towards your chest. Grip both of the bird's feet firmly near the base of their backside to keep the bird still. Wrap your fingers around the bird's neck. You get the picture, if completed this will stop a broody chicken 'every time'!! ..
:shocked: :shocked: :shocked: :wink: :grin:
Mm-hmm, yeah, I see what you did there. :wink:
:wink: :cheesy:
Quote from: gww on August 08, 2023, 03:46:29 PM
We put ours in a cage for two or three days and they get better though some chickens might try two to three different times during the year. Try and let them get a little light while caged and I read once if they lay an egg you don't have to wait the full three days. I will be honest, many times two days will do it and one will not.
Cheers
My sister do have this hen separated from the flock in a little hut we are planning on using for the guineas. It hasn't worked so far, but the space isn't quite as confined as a cage. Do you think being more confined would help?
People recommend cooling the hen by putting her in a wire cage off the ground. Personally, I have never found anything to work other than time. If you leave her where she is, don't take food and water to her. Make her get hungry enough to come off the nest. You can also try blocking off her chosen nest so that she has to use another. Some hens don't care though.
The15th
We have did it three times this year and it worked every time. We have a rabbit type cage in the chicken house but when it is really hot we used like a bird or dog cage and keep her in the yard and move her from shade to shade as the sun swifts.
I would let them sit but my wife cares more and it is my belief they may kill themselves on those hundred degree days. My wife will check them by letting them out early and if they poop eat and run back and start sitting, back in the cage they go.
You can tell pretty quick if they are over it cause they quit the little clucking and stuff when you get near them when they are broody. We do not separate them except for the caging and lots of time the other chickens will gather round the cage.
We have only did this for about three years but it works well enough that my wife complains that it took so long to find out about it. We used to just get chicks and stick under them. My wife is very happy about this process. Mostly we do not put bedding in the cages but do try and keep food and water.
Good luck and I hope this helps more then hurts.
Cheers
Quote from: Kathyp on August 08, 2023, 05:36:03 PM
People recommend cooling the hen by putting her in a wire cage off the ground. Personally, I have never found anything to work other than time. If you leave her where she is, don't take food and water to her. Make her get hungry enough to come off the nest. You can also try blocking off her chosen nest so that she has to use another. Some hens don't care though.
We have tried removing her favorite nest and also filling it with ice, and neither thing worked.
Quote from: gww on August 08, 2023, 06:15:09 PM
The15th
We have did it three times this year and it worked every time. We have a rabbit type cage in the chicken house but when it is really hot we used like a bird or dog cage and keep her in the yard and move her from shade to shade as the sun swifts.
I would let them sit but my wife cares more and it is my belief they may kill themselves on those hundred degree days. My wife will check them by letting them out early and if they poop eat and run back and start sitting, back in the cage they go.
You can tell pretty quick if they are over it cause they quit the little clucking and stuff when you get near them when they are broody. We do not separate them except for the caging and lots of time the other chickens will gather round the cage.
We have only did this for about three years but it works well enough that my wife complains that it took so long to find out about it. We used to just get chicks and stick under them. My wife is very happy about this process. Mostly we do not put bedding in the cages but do try and keep food and water.
Good luck and I hope this helps more then hurts.
Cheers
Thanks for the extra info, gww.
Did she have a pretty good average of hatched chicks?
Quote from: Ben Framed on August 08, 2023, 09:04:39 PM
Did she have a pretty good average of hatched chicks?
She didn't hatch any. She's not the hen who typically goes broody, so we've kind of already done our chicks for this year, and we just don't need any more. We do have the guinea keets though. They have been here for almost a week, so we're not sure they'll accept a mama at this point, but my sister is going to try putting two of them under her tomorrow and seeing what happens. If it doesn't work, then we'll try solitary confinement.
I can't say I found anything that worked well. We used to dunk them in ice water. It was faster than just waiting, but it took several dunks over several days. What's wrong with more chicks? Just butcher a few of the adults. Or give her a nest of golf balls and wait for her to give up.
To clarify what Ben said, a little crisco in the frying pan works every time. :shocked: :cheesy:
Quote from: iddee on August 09, 2023, 09:05:57 AM
To clarify what Ben said, a little crisco in the frying pan works every time. :shocked: :cheesy:
:wink:
Quote from: Michael Bush on August 09, 2023, 07:04:03 AM
What's wrong with more chicks? Just butcher a few of the adults.
That's just it, the girls don't want to butcher any right now and our chickens don't free range, so we have limited space.
You can always let a few of them free range... then you won't have to butcher them because the foxes/raccoons/skunks/possums/hawks will take care of your population problem.
Quote from: Michael Bush on August 09, 2023, 12:15:34 PM
You can always let a few of them free range... then you won't have to butcher them because the foxes/raccoons/skunks/possums/hawks will take care of your population problem.
Except that's a total waste of a good chicken.
Coyotes have to eat, same as the crows... nothing is wasted in nature.
We just take away all eggs from under broody chook every day. After a while, she?ll go off the nest.
Good thing is, all the others lay more at the time too.
Quote from: Beelab on August 10, 2023, 08:06:21 AM
We just take away all eggs from under broody chook every day.
Dito, remove the eggs. No harm done.
Mine will stay with or with out eggs and will sometimes move to the next egg laid.
Solitary confinement seems to have worked. My sister put this chicken in one of our rabbit tractors, which are empty currently, for several days, and this morning when she let her out, the hen went right to a nest box, but then she got back off of it, and she hasn't been back on it since.
Now lets hope she is laying again. Mine are mostly starting molting and I am down to very few eggs a day.
QuoteMine are mostly starting molting and I am down to very few eggs a day.
Have several doing the same and one of the 7 month old hens decided to get broody. Man, can she screech! Don't know how it goes where you are by our egg laying will start dropping off a lot over the next month as the days get short.
I figured this topic would be as good a place as any to ask a chicken question. It has been years since I have incubated eggs and I have completely forgotten at what temperature to set the incubator. What temperature do you set your incubator on? Thanks!
Phillip
I'm pretty sure our incubator is preset to 100F.
Pretty sure I always had 101 F as the target which means it varies between 100 and 102 F or so.
My incubator came with it set to 99.5 and a 21 day count down. Judy kept saying that we didn?t need water in it because she thought that 21 percent humidity was good. I thought it was 50 percent. I looked it up and it should bee 50 percent until the last three days, when you turn off the egg turner, and then you add water in the second water tray to raise it to 75 percent.
Hope this helps.
Jim Altmiller
When I was hatching a lot I was in Western Nebraska where the humidity is very low. Humidity was always my problem. I suppose my incubator was crude by today's standards. It was a Montgomery Ward incubator probably from the 1930's. It has a tray of water in it to raise the humidity and I had to double the that (using jar lids). I think 50% is the goal and agree that 75% at the end is good. Otherwise they seem to get stuck to the shell and have trouble getting out of the shell.
Quote from: Michael Bush on February 22, 2024, 08:51:15 AM
When I was hatching a lot I was in Western Nebraska where the humidity is very low. Humidity was always my problem. I suppose my incubator was crude by today's standards. It was a Montgomery Ward incubator probably from the 1930's. It has a tray of water in it to raise the humidity and I had to double the that (using jar lids). I think 50% is the goal and agree that 75% at the end is good. Otherwise they seem to get stuck to the shell and have trouble getting out of the shell.
I had the same problem with a Sears and Roebuck incubator (round, made of metal). The way I over came this problem was; When I would rotate the eggs twice daily, using a spray bottle filled with water, I would lightly mist the eggs. That did the trick!
Phillip
>I would lightly mist the eggs. That did the trick!
I would be afraid that might activate bacteria on the surface.
QuoteI would be afraid that might activate bacteria on the surface.
The humidity in the incubators is high. The newer incubators have a water reservoir that keeps it that way.
If you ever put your hand under a broody hen they are pretty warm and damp so I guess it's OK.
The light mist coat of water was clear and clean. The eggs were very warm from incubation and a portion of the misted water, (I suppose), was absorbed into the egg. What was not absorbed was transformed into humidity when the heating top was put back into place. (Stands to reason)
In nature the needed moisture for eggs is given off from the setting hen, (Again I suppose).
Regardless, my hatching problems due to sticking to the shell was resolved, while my successful hatching of a high percentage of healthy chicks was the result.
Phillip
QuoteIf you ever put your hand under a broody hen they are pretty warm and damp so I guess it's OK.
Thanks Kathy.
Worked for me time and again. The old Sears and Roebuck is many years gone. I have a styrofoam little giant now. I am wondering if they do a better job of keeping the eggs moist than the old types that Michael and I used in years gone by?
Does anyone here use the modern Little Giant type incubators? If so what are your experiences?
Phillip
>The light mist coat of water was clear and clean.
Do I need to point out where eggs come from? The bacterial problem is already on the egg but not active when dry.
QuoteDo I need to point out where eggs come from? The bacterial problem is already on the egg but not active when dry.
Nor do you need to point out what sometimes can get on the shell of the egg from the hens foot as she leaves the nest periodically and returns to sit. . I do not know if the egg shell itself has a natural built in filtering system, or a natural antibacterial property, I am not a scientist, but I have reported what I did to eliminate the sticking shell problem and the results of improved hatching of (healthy) chicks while eliminating those sticking problems that you described and I have also experienced as well,
(due to lack of proper incubating moisture in the incubator), from my personal experience.
Phillip
I'm not arguing that apparently it worked for you. I'm just saying my concern. A dry egg has few problems with bacteria. A wet one does. That's why refrigerating eggs that are for sale is illegal in Europe. They are trying to avoid the condensation from getting the egg wet and causing the bacteria to activate. It's also illegal to wash eggs that are for sale.
QuoteA dry egg has few problems with bacteria.
That's probably true, but if the egg sits under the hen it is not dry. Is hen sweat naturally anti-bacterial? :grin:
Chickens can't sweat. Same with pigs, dogs etc. There is some transpiration of moisture from their skin (like any animal) but no sweat.
QuoteThere is some transpiration of moisture from their skin (like any animal) but no sweat.
Lol. OK. Is hen moisture anti-microbial? If you shove your hand under a broody hen it's pretty damp under there :grin:
lol By the time this discussion is over, we might all be chick hatching experts! :grin: :cheesy:
QuoteBy the time this discussion is over, we might all be chick hatching experts
To your question, the dry membrane issue should not happen with the newer incubators. I suggest you get a cheap temp/humidity digital device to put in the incubator and brooder. I got a really good one a couple of years ago and I don't think I paid even 10 dollars on Amazon. It has lasted through chick poop in the brooder so I am happy to have gotten it :cheesy:
I have a queen incubator that has one of those nice digital controllers in it. I'm not sure how well the box would do for chicken eggs though... The Monkey Ward one has an incandescent light bulb (now illegal) for it's heat source. It was not as stable temperature wise as the queen incubator is. Maybe I should look it over. I might be able to detatch the controler and put it in the chicken incubator. It's about time to hatch some chicks Maybe next month but at least by April.
Quote from: Kathyp on February 22, 2024, 03:59:00 PM
QuoteBy the time this discussion is over, we might all be chick hatching experts
To your question, the dry membrane issue should not happen with the newer incubators. I suggest you get a cheap temp/humidity digital device to put in the incubator and brooder. I got a really good one a couple of years ago and I don't think I paid even 10 dollars on Amazon. It has lasted through chick poop in the brooder so I am happy to have gotten it :cheesy:
Thanks Kathy. Do you off hand know where the humidity level in hatching chicks needs to be?
Phillip
I don't remember. It should be in the incubator info, or you can find it online. Maybe 15th knows without looking it up.
The humidity is important all the way through, but especially as they hatch. If the membrane dries out, they get stuck.
Michael, if you do chicks, try a warming plate for your brooder. I used one last year instead of a light and it was way better + I didn't have the fire risk.
I don't, but I looked it up. :rolleyes: Our incubator recommends 45-55% for setting, and 55-65% for hatching. You want it to be humid for hatching, but you don't want condensation, as that will make it hard for the chicks to dry.
A bit of bad luck. On the second day at egg turning time the incubator was kaputt, and the eggs were cold... Bummer, I guess sometimes a broody hen would be in order. :cheesy:
Quote from: Ben Framed on February 29, 2024, 06:03:13 PM
A bit of bad luck. On the second day at egg turning time the incubator was kaputt, and the eggs were cold... Bummer, I guess sometimes a broody hen would be in order. :cheesy:
Sorry to hear that, hope it goes better next time
Thanks Occam. Last night I did a little investigating and found a couple videos showing how to make an incubator using a hot water thermostat. I might go this route. The one that fiddled out was a bought one form Tractor Supply which had didgital readout. I used it for hatching queen cells prior.
Phillip
I used a foam one and did not measure humidity. I did keep a thermometer in it and did pour a little water in the bottom of it on just guess and tried to be religious on egg turning. With good temp control and turning, little water some times, it worked out. My dog knew first when they started hatching and acted like a new mom and hung around the incubator and they are good friends to this day.
I am pretty sure my direction said to put a little water and if in a pretty constant temp area to open the little vents. This was ten years ago and from my memory and so I hope it helps more the hurts. Don't make it to hard, just use a little common sense and there is some latitude cause real chicken mamas are not perfect either. They get up every day for a while.
Thanks gww. I like the idea of having the dog in on it for obvious reasons.
I am strongly leaning toward building a home made incubator, kind of like a fellow built in one of the videos. I will post the video a little later in case someone here might be interested .
Phillip
Quote from: Ben Framed on February 29, 2024, 10:26:54 PM
Thanks gww. I like the idea of having the dog in on it for obvious reasons.
I am strongly leaning toward building a home made incubator, kind of like a fellow built in one of the videos. I will post the video a little later in case someone here might be interested .
Phillip
https://youtu.be/3D4gU4FnU94?si=SXVYbSkqeH0cX30w