You’ll find every so often that your hens will go broody when you don’t want them too! There’s a few things you can do to break the broody hen cycle.
Signs of a broody hen
Before a hen goes into a their full on ‘broody mode’ there are a few signs that you might notice. A hen might staying closer to the coop more than normal. They might go off their food and stay away from other hens. The biggest tell-tale sign is when a normally calm hen becomes aggressive to her fellow hens. She might peck or hiss at other females or fluff themselves up to threaten other hens.
If this behaviour starts, ensure that you collect the eggs as often as you can, if there’s no eggs to sit on you may be able to break the cycle before it begins!
What to do
For most hens removing the eggs will break the cycle after a few days. If this doesn’t work, try removing the bedding too. Hens want to make a nice comfortable area to brood, taking the bedding away makes a more uncomfortable environment. If both of these techniques don’t work and your hen is super committed to brooding, then just fake it. We use fake eggs, but a golf ball will work just as well.
Beware
When a hen is broody they aren’t the friendliest of things., some of them can be nasty. Most of the aggression comes across in their posture. If you have a hen that’s extremely aggressive you will need to take extra precautions to keep yourself safe.
Wear a long sleeve shirt or sweatshirt
Use heavy leather gloves to protect your hands
If you can, have someone help you by grabbing the eggs while you hold the hen.
Always reach under the hen from the back.
Even if your broody hen is aggressive, you’ll need to remove the eggs at least every other day, otherwise you’ll end up with chicks or a down right mess in your coop.
