Broody Chickens : Care, feed and breaking them

Broody hens are a natural part of chicken keeping, but they can be confusing and frustrating if you don't understand what's happening.

In this episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast, Jennifer Bryant and Carey Blackmon take a deep dive into broodiness—what causes it, how to recognize it, and what poultry keepers should do when a hen decides it's time to hatch chicks.

You'll learn about the hormonal changes that drive broody behavior, why some breeds are more likely to go broody than others, and how broodiness affects feed intake, body condition, egg production, and flock management. The discussion also covers practical strategies for managing broody hens, including when to encourage natural incubation, when to intervene, and science-based methods for breaking broodiness when necessary.

Whether you're dealing with your first broody hen or managing a flock of dedicated mothers, this episode will help you understand the biology behind the behavior and make informed decisions for your birds.

In this episode:

• Signs that a hen has gone broody
• The role of prolactin and reproductive hormones
• Breeds known for strong broodiness
• Natural incubation versus artificial incubation
• Health considerations during broodiness
• How to break a broody hen safely and effectively
• Managing broody hens in breeding and production flocks
• Common myths and misconceptions about broodiness

Join us as we explore one of the most fascinating instincts in poultry and discuss how to work with—or against—nature when a hen decides she wants to become a mother.

For more poultry education, visit PoultryNerdsPodcast.com.

Valley Hatchery is a proud sponsor of Poultry Nerds, find more at ValleyHatchery.com

Transcript

Cedric 0:00

Um, if it's a turkey, she will actually rear up like a snake and come after you. Like, they're vicious. Now, look, I'm gonna tell you, that is hilarious when they do that. Now, they do really hurt. I had that happen to me. And, you know, I started moving because I know it was gonna hurt, but I was also like th- this, this is really happening.

0:19

Who's got chickens? Who's got quail? Who's got hatch rates off the scale? From brooders, coops, and mystery birds. You're listening to poultry nerds. Talking eggs and talking birds. Science stories, tips you've heard. Welcome to The Poultry Nerds And we are back for another exciting episode of the Poultry Nerds Podcast. One of these days we're gonna get, we're gonna run out of things to talk about I mean, we've This is what year, midway year number two. Shoot. We got a lot to talk about. And as, you know, we've got a couple of really good sources that we use for topics. Mm-hmm. So those are always handy. And, you know, like last week's episode when we answered listener questions. You know, we keep getting a lot of those, so I figured that's good for an episode every now and then, cause if somebody emails us a question, there's at least 100 other people that have it. That's true. So I was trying to think of something to talk about this week and, um, I was like, surely we've talked about broody hens before. So I went and searched our library and, and we, I couldn't find anything. So if we did, we either called it something else or it was just like a segment of a larger- I, I don't- idea I was gonna say, I don't think we've done a whole episode about broody hens. Um, we have talked about them on a couple of different occasions, and, you know, they, that's like one of the best incubators you can get. It is. So if, if we are all about incubating, we have to talk about the broody hen. That's what I So I deemed it nature's incubator, and I just want to side note that all of the, well, all but one of the pictures in this slideshow are current from my farm as of today. It's a complete broody fest here. Oh, Lord. It's- And see, like, that doesn't make sense to me. Why? Well, when I'm hot, the last thing I wanna do is sit and snuggle up in one spot and be hotter. And, and it's always somewhere that's out of the wind and out of the way. Like, if I was an animal, I would want to be in the shade where the wind's blowing. Or, you know, if I was this duck, I'd wanna be in the water where it's not as hot as it is sitting there in a stagnant air place with no air movement. She was actually under a tree. Um, this is not from today, because I have another picture of some broody ducks, and I did not think that that was front page worthy picture, but I did include it just because it is freaking hysterical. And now there are two there as of a couple days ago. So I have added them just for the ridiculousness of broodiness. But while I was doing just a little bit of research, I did not realize that Orpingtons were considered as broody as Silkies. I don't know why it never occurred to me, probably 'cause I've never had a Silkie. But it is in the top, uh, Orpingtons and Cochins, which I had Cochins for a long time, and Silkies are the top three broody breeds. So I- Well, I mean, they are big fluff balls. And they don't move really fast. No. I could see that. It, it makes sense. So David had to mow the back field because, you know, I complained it wasn't raining here, and so it's been raining for, like, what, 12 days now? And- Yeah um, the doghouse in the back... Well, when I say doghouse, don't imagine, like, a little igloo. It's, I think, 8 by 10 or something. And- I was gonna say, your doghouse is... What, I don't know what's more ridiculous- how huge it is, the fact that it has a front porch- or the fact that I have literally seen pictures of them laying on the front porch- while it was snowing. Mabel can put her whole front half of her body in it. And imagine if you were one of the dogs and you were inside asleep and you opened your eyes to Mabel, which is a cow for those that don't know, half the body inside of your house looking at you like, "Moo. What are you doing?" She's not just any cow. She's a giant Holstein. And she, yeah, she's, she's not small. But anyways, so David was back there mowing, and when he came in, he said, um, You're gonna need to go out to the doghouse because it looks like, um, blonde carpet out there." So I still haven't been out there because I'm kinda scared, but he said I need to take a shovel and a, and the wheelbarrow with me. Um, I'm sure there's probably some dead birds in there. I need to go assess that situation when it's not 100% humidity outside. Mm. So that, that is one thing that we're gonna talk about today is these super broody breeds. Um, them, they can literally set themselves to death. And, uh, so we're gonna talk about that here in just a second. But this picture on the front cover, that's one of my Welsh Harlequin hens, and she was the first one this year to go broody. And she started out under the tree, and every day she moved her nest a little bit more until she was out in the middle of the field probably, what, a good 30 feet from the tree by the end. And, um, but that was fine. It wasn't raining when she did that. But then it started raining, and then she got bored, and one thing led to another, and so we still don't have any baby ducks, you know. But that's, that's part of it. That's what you get, right? So what is a broody? I d- you know, sometimes when we're talking about some of these topics, I, I forget that, not everybody has had, you know, the experiences or, that's just a, a problem that I have. I just assume people have the same amount of knowledge that I do. And, and so I struggle with that. But a broody hen, and we call them hard broodies, and they're, they set. And when we mean set, that means they're not moving. Like, David put his hand in there with these two girls right here. Actually, it kinda make, me, looks like there's three girls in there. Um- And they bit him. So a hard broody chicken is super defensive, and when they bite, I mean, it, I mean, it won't, doesn't take your arm off or anything, but it will leave a blood blister. I mean, they get you good. Oh, they'll pinch the crap out of you with their beak. Yeah, yeah. It hurts. Um, it's enough to turn around and backhand them, you know? But- Mm-hmm just side note here, the one on the right, people who come here are always amazed by her. She is 13 years old, and she still lays, and she still goes broody, and she still travels the entire farm when she's not broody. And she still has no clue what it's like on a hot summer day. Uh-uh. Apparently, cause that is one of those nice little big Rubbermaid trash cans in- I don't know. Mm-hmm is there, is there a third one in there, or is it just those two? Well, you know, I didn't notice it before, but there does l- appear to be a third one underneath of them. You can kinda look under that top one's head. Yeah. I think I'm gonna have to look in there. Um, I pulled em out the other day and there was just two in there, but that doesn't mean there's not more in there. Um, I had put shavings in this just to go and re-bed the nest boxes in the main coop, and set it down and walked away, you know, for, like, a month, because that's what you do when you have chickens. And they started laying their eggs in there, and next thing I know they're broody in there. Oh, yeah. So- At least they found a nice clean place to do it. Well, if you notice the shadow in the afternoon sun, they are in the shade, but the sun is hitting that broadside. So I am sure it's really hot in there. It's gotta be toasty. I am gonna pull them out, because there's no way those eggs are fertilized. I mean, there's a mild chance, but I'm pretty sure they're not. They've gotta get out of there enough to be fertilized. Okay. I mean, jeez. So a hard broody hen, a- and that's what I'm gonna refer to 'em as for this podcast is hard broody, is they'll growl, they'll puff up, they'll snap at you.

Cedric 7:29

Um, if it's a turkey, she will actually rear up like a snake and come after you. Like, they're vicious. Now, look, I'm gonna tell you, that is hilarious when they do that. Now, they do really hurt. I had that happen to me. And, you know, I started moving because I know it was gonna hurt, but I was also like th- this, this is really happening.

7:45

Mm-hmm. What the, what the crap is this thing doing? They, they will hurt you, a turkey will. Yeah. Um- They're serious about it um, so if, just this, just another rabbit hole, you know, we're still stuck on slide two here, but just another rabbit hole. If you do have to reach under a, a broody turkey hen, if you can take, like, a- pitcher or a feed scoop or a small bucket and kinda put down over their head, and then you can reach underneath of them. Cause they won't move their body. Them- they move their head, um, and they can chase you like a cobra. But I mean, your head's like a foot long. Yeah. So they can- And my little wonton scooper thing from Dollar Tree that I use to pick up the eggs- Mm-hmm is shorter than their reach. She can get my fingers. So you should grab, you should use one of those grabbers like I use with the suction cups on the side. Mm-hmm. And then, like, they... I couldn't tell you how many times I just stuck that thing out and wrapped it around their neck and held them away- Mm-hmm so I could get up underneath them. Well- Because I, I've got a hen, a blue hen, that is broody, and she has, I swear I think she sharpened her beak- before she got on the nest And it hurt. I've, I've had her draw blood pecking on my hand before. Yeah, yeah. And so I was like, "Nope, not anymore. I'm gonna do this." I think all the scars on my hands and my wrists and my lower arms are all turkey scars. I don't know that any of them are chicken scars. I've got some doozies. Yeah. I don't, I don't have but just, like, two or three from chickens. Mm-hmm. Um, they're mostly on my forearms. They're not on my hands. Yeah. But turkeys- They'll get you. Mm-hmm. Okay. So anyway, so hard broodies, they actually have some hormonal changes, and I did a little research to fully understand how that works. So the, the hormone is prolactin, and it's formed in the pituitary gland, and, and it's kinda dormant until they see eggs in the nest, and then they wanna sit on them, which generates more prolactin, which creates more desire to sit, which creates more prolactin, which makes them growl, which makes more prolactin. Do you see the vicious tornado circle there that's going on? So your chickens are hormonal. Yes, very. So their estrogen drops. All their other stuff drops. They stop laying eggs, and they pull a brood patch, and that's where they pull the feathers out of their breast area and, like, their underside where the eggs are gonna touch their skin. Mm-hmm. And their skin will actually thicken, and then they have blood vessels down there that will actually enlarge, and then they will pump more blood down there to keep it a more consistent temperature. Wow. It's pretty fascinating, actually. That is. Um, and so when they're sitting down on the eggs, they, they heat them through touch, and then their skin, of course, is moist. There's your humidity. So, like, lately when the humidity's been really high, what they'll do is they'll kinda raise themselves up just a little bit to make sure they don't overheat the eggs, and that they use their feathers to keep the draft off. And so they continuously readjust themselves to keep the most consistent temperature they can. And then they can use their beak to roll them, move them, adjust them, carry them. I've seen... I've, I've never actually seen a chicken move an egg, but I've seen evidence that the eggs were moved Yeah, I've never seen that either, but I have, in, in one of my pens I had some broodies that at one point was on the far back left-hand side, and then I went out there to feed and all the la- the eggs and the two chickens were on the right-hand side. Mm-hmm. And I'm like That's weird. Mm-hmm. You know, like for us, we can, it seems like, halfway handle a egg wrong and it'll crack. But you let a chicken, you know, just s- scoop it with their beak or move it with their foot, sit on it, whatever- it's not cracking. Nothing's happening. It's good. Yeah. Okay, why is she so hot? She actually is the same temperature she always is. Her temperature does not go up while she's broody. So a chicken is 105 to 107 degrees. Um- All the time. Yeah, all the time. But they pluck their breast, they increase that vascular activity down low, and it just makes them feel like they're hotter. Maybe their temper makes them seem like they're hotter. Now, guys, I'm gonna say this, if you are listening to this podcast or watching this with your significant other, uh, I highly encourage you not to have facial reactions when we talk about hormones- and things like that. It might not be smart for you. But- You're funny. Look, this one, this right here, this, I'm gonna let you tell it, but this amazed me. Okay. I would not have thought they would get like that. So this is in my main coop. There are four nest boxes. It was not possible for me to get a good picture of all four. And, um, but you can ass- you know, assume how it works. They're not overly big boxes. Uh, you would think they were just big enough for one of my extra size chickens. Um, but in reality there are 11 birds, not counting the one in the ground, in this picture. So you've got the two on the outside. Now, that bottom one has her head and one foot in. Um, the top right had three. That top left has two. Bottom left has two, and the bottom right had two. And so they pile in there, and there was only- eggs in the bottom, and I wanna say eight eggs. I clean them out every day, make them move. Um, how you get them out, because they do, you know, they are gonna snap at you, so you just kinda have to go in. Now, mine are used to me pulling them out at this point, so don't really snap too much at me anymore. With what they do, though, the two, the ones on the outside are the ones that are in head-first. They'll actually take their claws and wrap them around the lip of the nest box. And so when you pull on 'em, you know, you're just, you can't. They're remarkably strong. Mm-hmm. And so I have to put my hands up underneath their feet so they're t- they think my fingers are the edge of the nest box, and they'll curl their toes around my fingers, and then I can just pull them out. It is better to try to turn em around and bring 'em out head-first, because they'll put their wings out and, and try to do everything they can to stay in there. Mm-hmm. Now, generally, I will just pick them up and toss 'em on the floor when I'm feeding so I can encourage them to go eat. But if one is being a, a complete brat, I will just scruff 'em like a cat. Just grab a whole handful of their back feathers and then just pull 'em out that way. It doesn't, feathers don't come out. It just aggravates them, but then they go on and go eat and do their thing. Um, they wait for me to leave, and then they all jump back up in there. The reason why I want them out is many reasons. Um, first of all, you, when you have a broody breed like this, um, they will stay broody for months and months. Mm-hmm. And they don't eat while they're broody. And I can tell just by picking them up every day that they're losing weight. I have already lost two hens. I have found two in the nest boxes dead, um, either by dehydration or by smother, because they're, they'll pile in there. The most I've ever seen in there was four, and it really took me some finagling to get them out, and the bottom one was dead. Um, so I have to pull 'em out every day. I have to make sure they get some food and try to get em out to get some water, um, because otherwise they'll just sit there. Um, their body kinda goes into a- That would be a good analogy. Like a, almost like a coma almost. Like, they- Hibernation. Yeah, like a hibernation. Um, they don't eat, they don't drink. They use their stored fat. They, then they start using up their muscle mass, and then they don't have anything left, you know, cause all their energy is going into keeping those eggs warm. And I don't need them hatching. First of all, there's only one male in there, and there's like, what, 50 girls out there. Um, so I don't- Oh, he'd have to be busy. Yeah. So I don't need him sitting on anything. And, um, and I don't want that many chicks actually this year. I did that last year and about lost my brains. Um, so I'm not doing that again this year. Um, so it's too many for me to try to break at this point, which we're gonna talk about in a minute. So right now I'm just kinda winging it by throwing em out and making em eat and essentially hoping for the best at this point. So what happens if you take that off the wall? Well, the, um, what you can't see in this picture is just down to the left on the ground is- Mm-hmm one broody underneath the ne- um, the roosts. So they'll, they'll do it right there. Yeah. I mean, they'll, they'll go anywhere. It, no matter where I move em, they go. So that's why they went out to the dog house, I suspect, just 'cause I don't walk out there. They're managers. And they know I'll leave 'em alone. So- It didn't work out- Yeah too good for a few of em. You know? So, but these, but these birds in the back are my air quote culls. These are the ones that didn't make the breeding groups, but we like, we like 'em. We like to look at 'em. We like to watch 'em walk across the field. These are our layers, basically. So it's not, like, I don't need them for a breeding pen, basically, is what I'm saying. Yeah. Okay, so this is a turkey. She's in the corner. Um, what you can't see is there is two roosts above her head. So turkeys are quite nasty on the roost. And- Mm. Mm so to reach over or under, you know, especially if there's one on the roost, you're taking matters in- It's risky. Yeah. So my grandson goes in there to get eggs for me sometimes, and he just shakes his head and he's like, Turkeys are so nasty, Grandma." You're like, Yep, that's why you're in there, buddy." It's just 'cause their poop is so big, you notice it more. Um, so what do you do with a broody? Now, if you want her to set, like you're ready to leave her alone and encourage her to stay on the eggs because you want chicks, never ever leave a broody if you don't want chicks. You need to constantly move them out. Do what you need to do to break 'em and stay hydrated and fed and active. Um, but if you're ready for them to set, then you, the day you make that decision, you need to mark the eggs. So reach under them, use a Sharpie. There's a big discussion in our Incubation Masterclass Facebook group about what do you mark eggs with, and, and I was like, Um, Sharpie?" Yeah. What, the first thing I can find. Yeah. Um, I'm just gonna say, you know, the purple one doesn't work really well, so I use red or blue or black. Um, so, um, I w- I do write up on the air cell end. I don't, that's just what I write. Oh yeah, that way you can see it when they're in the incubator. Yeah, okay, that's why. Okay, I was like, why do I do that? Um- Mm-hmm but you need to mark them, um, the ones that you're gonna let her have. You can write the date on there. You can put a big old X on them. It doesn't matter really what you put on them, but you need to mark them. Because what's going to happen, especially if you go back to the Orpington picture, they literally will stand on top of each other and lay eggs, and then the broody hen will absorb the eggs into her nest. And if you don't mark them, and then make a note in your calendar, what will happen is in 21 days you're gonna get those first chicks to hatch, but then you're gonna have 12 more eggs of varying degrees of growth. So- And that is not what you want. I gotta tell you something that happened to me that was weird. Okay, what? All right, so I take my eggs out of the hatcher, and I get the chicks out of the basket. And, you know, sometimes when you're in a hurry, you don't necessarily toss the eggshells. So I didn't do that one time, the other day. And when I went back into my incubator room, there was two chicks in that basket. I haven't rolled the camera back to see just how long they were in there, but, like, they were vibrant, chirping, moving around, fluffy- Huh all that kind of stuff. I was like, I should probably put y'all in a brooder." So picked them up, had them in my hands, put some hot warm air on them pretty quick, and stuck them in the brooder. Oh. Checked on them a couple hours later, and they're good to go, but never had that happen. I normally don't like late bloomers. I like for everything to be when it's supposed to be. Mm-hmm. But I figured if those two late bloomers lasted long enough in that environment to be fluffy, they must be pretty vigorous. Must be. So, we'll see. All right I marked them. If you don't mark them, or you don't pull the new eggs every day, which you should pull the new eggs every day. Mm-hmm. Um, but let's just say you don't, and no judgment there because we've all done it. Um, what's going to happen, just to prepare you, is on day 21 her original eggs are gonna hatch. Mm-hmm. And then she is going to abandon her nest because her timer's off. Ding, ding, ding, she's done. Okay? And she needs to go get food and water for her chicks because- Mm-hmm the prolactin is still active in her, but the shift is now, I need to teach them to eat and drink. She is no longer broody. She is brooding. Mm-hmm. Okay. So now you have to make a decision. Are you going to terminate the remaining eggs, or are you going to maybe put them under another broody and hope for the best, or are you gonna put them in an incubator? If you choose to put them in your incubator, this is where I think the, uh, phenomenon of exploding eggs comes from. Because because those things have been cooking in a nest box now with all kinds of chick fecal matter and dander and all kinds of different things going on in there. Mm-hmm. And just bacteria everywhere. Yummy. Um, so I just... I'm, I'm not saying do or don't, I'm just telling you what could happen. Now, you candle them obviously before you put them in your incubator, and pull out any duds that are obvious. And then you will have to just judge your days and go from there. I would, um, not put them in a turner. I would lay them flat, and I would put them in a incubator by themselves, so should you do get a exploder, it doesn't mess up anything else. Mess up anything else. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Now, always pay attention to your nose. Your nose will tell you if you have a problem, hopefully before it explodes. Um- Yeah. Yeah. So on an ideal side, you've marked the eggs, you collect everything that's not marked every day. When you don't, because we all have lives and stuff happens, um, that's how you handle the situation at the end. You also never move a broody hen. Chances are when you move her, you will break her. She will not want to be broody anymore in her new location, because that's literally how you break them is moving them. So if you have her setting, leave her alone. Nobody's gonna bother her where she is, um, unless you... I mean, if she's in a coop. Now, I mean, if she's out in a field or something somewhere, then you gotta do what you gotta do. Mm-hmm. But I'm talking about, like, in the safety of a coop or a run or something like that, then just leave her. Okay, so now you're at day 21 and they hatch. Um, and this is actually in that same nest box. This picture's from a few years ago. Same nest box, though, that all those Orpingtons were crowded into, and she hatched her chicks. Now, nest boxes generally have a front on them, and the chicks usually can't get over the top of them. I'm not gonna say that they can't ever, but they shouldn't normally. And so once she's ready to go and be active and take the chicks out, that is when you move them. You take them, her and the chicks, and put them in a safe and secure location. Um, you, if you have an extra small coop, that would be a ideal location. Um, she will take care of bedding them down. You don't have to do anything there. Um, I can, I sometimes have taken them in the barn. Um, I have pens on the other side of the barn I can use. I've left them in empty runs. I've turned them out, um, outside of the, you know, outside of the barn in the main yard. Um, and I've used big huge dog crates. Um, just whatever you have handy will work. And the reason why you move them out of the main coop is not because 95% of the time the other big birds shouldn't bother the chicks. Of course, there's always gonna be that one jerk, but- Mm-hmm 95% of the time that's fine. Mama will take care of them. But the reason being is the other big birds will drink all the water and eat all the feed. Um, and the chicks won't- Yeah, and starter's expensive and chicks won't get it. Um, so we're not moving them- We're moving them for their own safety, basically. Right. And I would keep them separated maybe, depending on your setup, um, three-ish weeks maybe. Maybe a little longer. At least three weeks, I would say. Wouldn't you say? Yeah, I, I usually like three weeks. But, you know, at three to four weeks this time of year, especially in the south, you can just about put them outside. So- Oh, yeah, I've got some four-week-olds running around up here. Um- You can, you can put them all out and they grow out together. Mm-hmm. I have some that are, they've been outside since they were, like, two and a half, three weeks old. Like, when they drop the dander and I can see actual feathers over most of their body and, you know, it's- Are you talking about with mama- on a cool night- or without? it's 60. Without. Oh, okay. So with mama it doesn't matter. She's gonna keep them warm. Yeah, she'll keep them warm. You don't need any heat plate. You don't need a heat lamp. You don't need none of the stuff that you have to do when you're doing it yourself. She, as long as she can get them on the ground, she will keep them warm, so you don't have to do anything with them. Yep. Now, I will say this, depending on your mama, how hard-broody she is, and Orpingtons are know to... My Nor- Orpingtons are notorious for this. They will brood them till they're bigger than she is. Yeah. So I had, um, a group, I wanna say two years ago, and the chicks, air quote, were st- she was trying to roost. She was over being a mama. She was done. She was ready to kick em out of the, out of the house. And, and they were trying to get under her on the roost and kept knocking her off. Daggum. So I couldn't... I tried removing her. Um, and then after, like, a week, I put her back. They went right back to doing it. There were six of them. Okay. And three of them were boys. And, um, so what I ended up doing was taking the six and putting them up in the breeder pens. Um- Wow and that's how I broke them. I mean, it w- it was horrible. They would climb on her. She was... You could just see it in her face. She's like, I am so- And, like, they don't even care I am so over this." It's insane. So the group that I have right now that's up there is an Orpington group. She had, she hatched out three chicks, and they are four-ish, three and a half, four-ish weeks, I would say, at this point. But she started laying eggs again. And after about a week of- Nice laying eggs, I went ahead and put her back in with the breeder group. Now, the chicks can... I have horse wire up there, two-by-four horse wire, and they just run in, in and out of it. They don't care. Yeah. So they could just go over where she is and... But she's over it. She don't wanna, she don't wanna brood 'em anymore. I, I honestly don't know where they're sleeping, because now they're just running 50 feet away from the pen. I don't... They're fine. I mean, nothing's bothering them, so. It's all that matters. They're doing their thing. Yeah, they're doing their thing. Okay, so breaking a broody. Um- It's hard. It's not, it's not cake. No, they're s- So- I mean, they're really stubborn yeah. So depending on how hard and persistent they are, what we're trying to do by breaking them is, is to basically cool their belly a little bit, because what we wanna do is, is shrink those vas- veins and that blood flow back up. And- You slow down that prolactin. Yes, yes, and we don't want them to be able to nest down. Um, no dirt, no nest boxes, no shavings, no anything. They have to be up on wire. They have to be airflow all around, all the way around. So that's why we say put them in a dog kennel- Mm-hmm on wire. Okay? And then if they still are persistent and trying to even nest down on, you know, the concrete floor or the dirt floor, wherever you have it, you gotta put it up on blocks. You gotta get that airflow underneath of them, and that is how you break them. Now, if you have one of these breeds that are prone to this kind of broodiness, it may only last a week, and you're gonna be right back to square one again. That's why I'm not really fighting with them too much because, I mean- Especially if you got plenty of eggs and you're done hatching for the year. Yeah. Like, don't, don't fight it. It's a waste of time. Just make sure they're getting- You got other stuff to do but do get them up. Get them moving. You don't want them pooping in that nest box and sitting in it. You want them out- Yeah eating and drinking. Throw them out. Don't be scared of them. Throw them out. Um, if you have the kinda coop that you can lock them out of, that's even primo. Mm-hmm. I am not able to do that. Um, and that bottom one, uh, broody breeds will set themselves to death. So like I said, I've already got two that have died this year, um, either by dehydration or smothering, so keep that in mind if you have one of these hard broodies. Um, and then they will stay continuously broody, and, and this is gonna be more your cup of tea really, but, um, they're so dehydrated and malnourished from being- You know, sitting there so long and the molt is coming- They're on strike. Yeah, the molt's coming. Mm-hmm. So, and that's even harder on their body when they're already depleted. Yeah, so during the molt, what I like to do is lower the protein level down to 12, 13 points. Um, but increase the fiber to eight or a little over eight, and make sure they're getting all the vitamins that their body needs. Because the protein is just gonna make em hotter, it's like carbohydrates, and their body doesn't need it. So you do that for a couple weeks and it really helps them get back down to that pullet or that cockerel weight. And the, um, having all the vitamins and stuff that they need keeps them going, keeps them thriving. And then after two weeks, go back up to, you know, like a 22% layer or a 20 p- percent layer, but make sure you've got a lot of amino acids, especially the methionine. When they're growing feathers like this, I really like it to be .5 plus. Um, 6 is amazing. You don't normally find that, so you're gonna have to use some kind of supplement to make it work. But that methionine is really what their body is spending a whole lot of, while it's making those feathers. So i- it's very important, especially at this time, to feed them a quality feed. You know, a lot... There's people out there that as soon as it starts getting hot, they, you know, they cut the protein. Well, if you're on a store-bought feed and you go down to like a, a 16 or 15 maintenance type thing, the amino acids and stuff are typically down low with it, and that's not what you wanna do, so. What if, like in my case, where they're already pretty depleted and it's obvious they're losing weight, do you still drop their protein going into the molt? Uh, they're not gonna need any help. You know, when, when they're broody before they get, go in there, nah, I, I wouldn't drop anything. I would just keep trying to get them to eat really well. If anything, if, since they're not eating a whole lot- I have actually given some of mine starter before because I was that worried that they weren't getting everything that they needed because of how little they were eating. So after hatch when they have the chicks, I feed mine starter. Yeah, if you got, if you got a broody in with some chicks, you should feed all of them starter- Mm-hmm because she needs to replace everything that she's lost while she's been sitting on those eggs And it's usually a good bit of nutrition. So for the first few weeks, it's, it's perfectly fine while she's brooding to give them both the starter. Yep. You know, the, the chicks and the hen. Okay. So it got me thinking, cause we talked about the broody breeds are the Silkies, the Orpingtons, and the Cochins. And when I had the Cochins, I used to joke that it was like carpet in their pen, it was just black carpet. But the non-broody breeds, so we hear people on social media talk about, Yeah, mine's broody, but she leaves the nest for a couple hours a day." That's not broody. So the- That's lazy. So she has, she might have elevated prolactin, but she is not broody enough to set eggs, so don't- Yeah don't try to expect that. Don't count on those. Um, so broodiness is an inheritable trait, and you can breed it out. So, like, in my Orpingtons, I mean, it would take me a lifetime to breed it out, as broody as they are. But in the Breeds, I, I'm on the fence. I'm thinking- You ain't really gotta try to breed it out of them. Well, I've got three that are broody right now. So- Out of how many? 15 or so. Yeah. See, that's- It's not terrible, but I'm thinking that I'm gonna band them and maybe not keep them once I have something to replace them with. So I may try to breed it. I wanna keep it under control, basically. Well, so- Just- if they're, if they have a lot of really good traits except for that, then yeah, I would band them while they're being so broody now and, you know, put a pink or orange zip tie around their leg or something. And then as soon as you find their replacement in the old hen grow out pen. Mm-hmm. Yeah, so the reason why we wouldn't want it is because we need production. Yeah. They're meant for eggs and meat, you know, and, and if they're broody, they're not laying. Right. And then broody seems to be, it's, it's contagious. And we say that it's contagious, but that's because there's eggs there, there's a nest there, and then remember that tornado, that circular motion of, Oh, I need to sit on these eggs," and more prolactin, and then it's just a whole thing. So- You know, I've never really thought about it that way, but yeah, it's like- It's contagious like the flu or something. It is. And so production breeds like Leghorns or Isa Browns, like in the laying houses- Mm-hmm and the hybrids that people get. So when you're shopping, let's say like at McMurray, McMurray or something, and, or Valley Hatchery, our sponsor, right? Um, then if you're looking at the breeds and you're picking something and it says they lay... I mean, I haven't shopped on there for production breeds, but let's just say 260 eggs a year. Well, that's going to be a non-broody chicken because if she had gone broody, then she wouldn't be laying most of the year. Pump- yeah, they're pumping the brakes on that. So if, if you were to see a picture of my Orpingtons in a catalog, it might say 75 eggs next to their name because they're broody all the time.

No speaker 33:10

So that is why those egg counts are on there. That's what it's telling you. And so the broodiness has been bred out of them, and you need to pay attention to that so you can decide if that's going to work for your purposes. Do you want what I've got out here, or do you want like the Bresse who are just egg machines and I can count on them every morning for breakfast? See, like- I mean, that's just a preference people, people ask me all the time, Man, can I get some of your reds? Can I get some of your reds?" I'm like, Why do you want my reds?" They lay such pretty brown eggs. Mm-hmm. Okay, but why do you want my reds? Well, because they're known for laying a lot of eggs." Not my reds. Mm-mm. Um, mine are standard bred and yeah, 70, 80, 90 on a good year. Mm-hmm. That, that's about it. So when I post pictures of all these eggs that I'm getting, yes, I do get a lot of eggs, but I have a lot of birds. But my egg season- Yeah for the Orpingtons is almost over. I think I got nine eggs today, and I have, like, 70 Orpingtons. You're gonna have to fire them heifers. Yeah, well, again- Some of them they're here for our enjoyment, right? But no, the Breeds, I got 15-ish, and three are broody, so I got 12 eggs. I mean, they're laying machines up there. Yep. So- If you can keep them out of a nest box, keep them in 14, 15, 16 hours of light every day, they're gonna pop it. They're, they're gonna be religious about it. Mm-hmm. So just when you're shopping, you need to make a mental note of, Oh, I'm getting them for eggs, plus I really like looking at them." Well, people want Cochins, but Cochins go broody, so you're not gonna be getting eggs, right? And they eat like pigs, too. And so you just, just shop for your needs because everybody's needs are different and their purposes are different. And that's one of the reasons why we always tell you to, before you start a flock, figure out what your goals are. You need to know what your goals are gonna be before so you know what to select. Mm-hmm. Okay, you ready? You ready for the duck picture? Oh, wait. I didn't put it in here. I took it and I didn't put it in here. That's hilarious. Okay. So I have to tell you, I'll just describe it to you. Maybe that's even better. So Mount Poopmore. Y'all know my quail poop, right? I pile it up for compost for the garden. Well, the old pile, I needed to stop adding to it, so we created a new pile. And the new pile is just right over here by the driveway, and it's between the driveway and the breeder pen over here, so you drive right by it. Yeah, it's as tall as I am. I'm gonna say, let's just say it's five feet. It's about five foot. Yeah. And it's probably, like, 10 or 12 feet at the base, and it's wet and it stinks. And these ducks flattened out the top of it and laid their eggs in the top of it. Can't get to em, can't do anything to 'em. She just stands, she's just up there on top of Mount Poopmore like she is just queen of the hill. And you dr- you drive by on the Gator and you just look at her, and she just, she just opens her mouth and like, Ha." Queen of the poop. Like, "I'm gonna go over there and do it." Yeah. She's like, Ha ha." So- And you're like- there is no way- Joke's on you, Heather" these eggs are gonna hatch, because they've got to be getting cooked from the underneath. I was gonna say, if, even if she gets off of 'em half the time, there's still some underlying heat there that's gonna keep 'em plenty of warm. So, like, two weeks ago- They might wind up poached a second duck showed up over there, sitting up there with her. That's insane. So yeah. Yeah. I took a picture of her. I can't believe I forgot to, to put it in the slideshow. But- Maybe you can stick it in the blog post, or make it the, um, thumbnail. There you go. Yeah. Pile of poop with a duck on top. Right, Mount Poopmore. Oh, my word. All right. Talk to you soon. Be sure to like, share, and subscribe. See y'all.

Cedric 36:38

Thank you for tuning in and please visit poultrynerdspodcast.com for more info and this week's guide to broody hens.