9 Reasons You Might Not Want a Broody Hen
9 Reasons You Might Not Want a Broody Hen
It is perfectly normal for hens to go broody and raise chicks. Some chicken breeds are known for going broody on a regular basis, and they make wonderful mothers. But there are a number of reasons you might want to stop your hen from being broody, as well. This is known as breaking a broody hen.
1. It’s hard on her.
Being broody is physically demanding for a chicken. First, she won’t eat or drink very much while she is broody. Instead, she’ll rely on her body’s stores for most of her fuel. Second, her activity will be very limited, and just like people, when we don’t move around much, we get weaker. If you have a hen who is young, small, or just not in great shape, you might not want her to go broody.
2. You end up with too many roosters.
One of the biggest challenges of a broody hen hatching her own chicks is the number of roosters you end up with. When chicks hatch, roughly half of them will end up being roosters. But when you have a flock of chickens, you really only want one rooster for every eight to ten hens. Any more than that can lead to fighting, overbreeding, and other issues.
3. She gets really cranky.
You might not want her to go broody if you value your hen as a pet. If she decides to sit on eggs, she’ll get very cranky. Your once snuggly pet will become like a vicious velociraptor, ruffling up her feathers, growling, and possibly even giving you a warning peck or two. If you don’t want to deal with a cranky chicken, you’ll want to stop her from being broody.
4. It’s the wrong time of year.
Winter is not a great time for a broody hen to hatch chicks (unless you bring her into your house). Chicks don’t do well in cold weather and will have a hard time in the snow or heavy rain. They do much better in warm summer weather, so you might not want a broody hen if it’s the wrong time of year.
5. You have a lot of predators.
A hen sitting on a nest is very susceptible to predators. It’s much easier for them to sneak into the coop and go after a sleepy hen, and they won’t be inclined to run away. Instead, they’ll attempt to defend their eggs, likely leading to the hen’s demise. So, if your predator pressure is high and you don’t have a way to protect a broody hen, you might not want one.
6. You don’t want to worry about baby chicks.
Baby chicks are inconvenient at best and can be a lot of work if the momma hen isn’t able or doesn’t want to take care of them. So, if you aren’t in a season of life where you have time to raise chicks in a brooder, you might not want a broody hen.7. You won’t get any eggs.
If you depend on your eggs to feed your family, you probably won’t want your hen to go broody. She’ll stop laying eggs for a month or two after the chicks are hatched as her body needs time to recuperate. So, if you value having eggs, you might want to keep her from getting broody.8. You can’t show or sell a broody hen.
If you are raising chickens to show them at 4-H, getting ready to sell them, or are even teaching them tricks, it can be really difficult or impossible to do with a broody hen. She won’t cooperate at all if she is broody. She’ll be stubborn, grumpy, and just want to sit on her nest. So if you want to show your hens, you’ll want to stop them from being broody.9. Her eggs aren’t fertilized.
There’s no point in letting your hen be broody if you don’t have a rooster to fertilize her eggs. In fact, it can be downright detrimental to her health because she’ll just keep on sitting on those eggs for as long as they aren’t hatched. Being eternally broody will take a huge toll on her health and could lead to sickness or death. So, if you don’t have eggs that can be hatched, you’ll want to break your broody.There are a few ways to ‘break a broody,’ none of which involve hurting your hen. But with a bit of time and patience, you can help your hen stop being broody so you can keep receiving those beautiful eggs.
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