How Do You Recognize A Broody Hen And Break Her Up If Needed?
Broody hens will fight with other hens, upsetting the poultry flock. They will hog chicken nesting boxes and keep eggs too warm. Broody hens don’t lay eggs themselves, so they are wasting the chicken feed they consume. Because of these factors, the backyard chicken flock owner needs to know how to recognize a broody hen and how to break her from wanting to set on eggs. It is also important to know the signs of a broody hen if one is wanted as an incubator to set eggs. Watch for her to stay on the nest. Simply because a hen is found on a nest does not mean she is a broody hen. Hen that are laying eggs are going to be found on the nest at various times of the day. Most hen will have laid their daily egg by noon so any hen still found on the nest in the afternoon may be setting. If she is on the nest each afternoon for more than three days in a row chances are good she is broody. Watch her to see how she acts. Does she stay on the nest even when the rest of the flock is fed? Is she protec
