Broody chooks
Broody chooks can be a good thing if you want to breed chickens but are a pain if you don't.
What causes broodiness? Well, it's a natural instinct.
The hen feels it wants to become a mum, and the pituitary releases the hormone prolactin – the same hormone that stimulates breast milk production in humans (hence the term "you're clucky"). The hormone release stops egg-laying in hens.
It also increases the hen's body temperature. Broodiness can occur at any time during the egg-laying season but usually late in the season when the weather is warmer.
Broodiness varies between breeds, and it's a genetic trait. It was bred out of the commercial breeds (hyline, Isa brown, etc), it is not common in the light Mediterranean breeds (Leghorn), but it is common in the heavy breeds (Wyandotte or Australorp etc).
Wyandottes can be particularly broody - out of a pen of ten hens, I had eight that were clucky!
How do we stop/cure broodiness? To help prevent them from being broody, collect their eggs daily.
Make sure when you lock up your chooks at night, there are none in the nest boxes.
It is common practice to place a clucky hen in a wire cage with food and water raised off the ground.
I was never happy with this method, as it confines the hen to a small space. I have since stumbled on a more efficient and humane way.
I have several small, portable pens (approximately 1.8m long, 800mm wide and 800mm high) that are half-enclosed with tin and the other half with wire. There is also a wooden floor on the enclosed half – this lets the hen move around freely, thus reducing the hormone.
They must have food and water readily available. You will also need to remove all nesting material.
If the hen is placed in the pen when it first gets broody, it will take 2-3 days for the hormone to reduce significantly, and it should be ready to put back in the flock after around seven days.
It could take longer than this, especially with heavy breeds.
When the hen is roosting on the perch at night, it is a sign that the hen is ready to go back to the flock.
Wear gloves when handling broody chooks for your own protection! Broody chooks can be aggressive, not only to you but to other chooks as well.
