Managing a Broody Hen

Managing a Broody Hen

One of the most fascinating experiences of raising a backyard flock of hens can also be the most frustrating

 

Every once in a while, a hen acts strangely She fluffs her feathers, changes her clucking pitch, stops laying, and spends almost all her time in the nest Reach in to retrieve eggs from under her and she’ll enthusiastically scold and probably give fingers a good peck

 

She’s broody!

 

Broodiness is a natural bird instinct Until artificial incubators came along in the late 1800s all baby chicks were brooded by a live hen Farmers would prepare rows of nests filled

Never Say Never… Or Always

Justin Bieber’s song, NEVER SAY NEVER, applies to chickens How can that be?

 

Rich and Marion Patterson learned “how” with their new flock When preparing their chick order in early spring they selected half their chicks to be from well-known, dual-purpose production breeds So, they included Barred Rocks, Rhode Island Reds, and Delawares in the order along with one California White, a famous laying dynamo All are breeds unlikely to pause laying and go broody The other half of the flock was from fun breeds like Brahmas and Cochins They’re gorgeous modest layers that have a tendency to go broody

 

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