Everything You Need To Know About Broody Hens

[@DrewPicklesTheDark]

I had a strange hen, she went broody one year, and we let her hatch them, but then she just remained in the broody mindset to like 4 months in when the chicks were basically adult chickens. She would try to get their attention for food still, and when they went to bed on the roost, she would still put her wings out and try to cover them (though they were so big she was essentially just putting her wings on the two beside her.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

🤣 Helicopter mom lol

[@tomkrueger6556]

Wooow that sounds very hilarious and strange 😂😂😂😂😂

[@melindadoennig7799]

She sounds like a great mama hen to me!! And yes helicopter mama!

[@BirdWitch]

poor soul ... she does not want to accept that her children have already grown up ...

[@ElizabethCruz-ps5xw]

I had one do that also and the babies were almost as big as her and she couldn’t cover them with her wings anymore 😂

[@weeping_scope]

Came here after getting so many broody hen videos in my suggested.

[@tomkrueger6556]

😂😂😂😂

[@sofienielsen4608]

Same.

[@StomerMadGermzOfficial]

Lol me too

[@msc8083]

i mean its not ad

[@RimuruTempest-lg6vh]

😂

[@74drummergirl]

Just had our first hen go broody and hatch out 9 chicks. It is magical to watch and to know that God put that instinct in them! They are the best at raising chicks and to watch them do all the work is so satisfying. I liked this video. Very informative and confirming to me for the process I just watched within my own flock. Thank you!

[@johnnycampbell5071]

You are absolutely right. It's all about learning how you're own chickens work in their environment provided for them. You have happy chickens. 🙂

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

💟Thank You!💟

[@wordswritteninred7171]

What BRILLIANT advice! ESPECIALLY about the food and water not being by the nest! THANK YOU!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

💟Thank You!💟

[@redbeaut]

Right, I had just taken mine water and feed and went right back out to remove it!

[@lebzaaahhh3415]

Bu wy

[@nashvilleoutlaw]

I had a Phoenix hatch almost 4 clutches her 1st year. She kicked the chicks out at 6 weeks and would be on somebody else's eggs by the end of the day. She also has her chicks running to me by 2-3 days old. With one of her clutches I had 2 chicks that would stand on the front porch at bed time and chirp until I came out because they couldn't get to mom's roosting spot. They would follow me all the way out to the barn and fly up in my hand for me to put them up on the roost😂

[@BARBSCOUNTRYHOME999]

I am a new chicken owner and one of my hens went Broody with one egg and I watched so many KZbin channels and your channel is the only channel that really educated me on what I need to know about my Broody hen and I want to thank you so much! 🐔 New subscriber as well..👍

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you so much! I’m so glad it was helpful.

[@BARBSCOUNTRYHOME999]

@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage Do y'all still put videos up on youtube ?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

@@BARBSCOUNTRYHOME999 We took this past year off to focus on the baby but we’re back! I’m posting one today!!

[@unknown69801]

@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage hey I have a question, my broody hen has been sitting on eggs for 2 days. Is it too late to add more eggs?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

@@unknown69801 Well you can try but I’m afraid if you add them they won’t hatch on the same day as the others and she may abandon them to take care of the chicks that hatched. Usually she will keep sitting on the newly hatched chicks for a day or two so she may keep sitting if they start to hatch in that time. It’s really hard to say for sure.

[@davidabberton9]

A big THANK YOU from Dooralong NSW Australia. Your video is full of great tips, is absolutely on point, and no rambling. You are a natural educator!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you I like to get right to the point because that’s the type of video I like to watch. Just too many things to do in a day. I appreciate you. 🥰

[@Xendrius]

They are so cute and amazing. And the fact that they can turn water and seeds to something amazing and nutrutional as an egg makes one wanna praise Yahweh.

[@yaryyary2327]

Me too

[@learnaswegrow-CA]

Oh my goodness, love your little guy with one of his chickens at the end there. So cute. Farm kids rock!

[@Corneelius]

I don’t even have chickens why am I watching this?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Because now you need chickens!! 😂😂

[@gravewalker1632]

You have a subconscious need to sit on eggs.

[@Robbie-Kom]

Because it’s wonderful watching good parenting

[@charsiu_808]

Now you are ready for them!

[@Corneelius]

@@charsiu_808 Yes! I shall conquer the quest for healthy chickens!

[@Robbie-Kom]

You’re such a lovely person the way you care and love your hens.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you! We try to treat them well they have been so giving to us with their eggs and we really enjoy raising them.

[@SmileSpiritual]

Awesome video! Thank you so much! First time chicken owner. We've had her for about a year. Previous owners said she didn't lay eggs. A few months after adopting her, she started laying eggs and now about a year later, she's brooding for the first time. The day our cat passed away is the day she started brooding. I may sound crazy, but I feel like she knew I was sad and her maternal instincts kicked in. Nature continues to amaze me.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Ahw sounds like she may not have been taken care of well. Hens will stop laying if they are under stress, malnourished, or if they just don’t like their living conditions. She must be very happy now!

[@SozoSeasonFreedom]

Great video! I have my first broody hen and I'm so excited but know nothing. I'm so relieved to hear that they can stay with the rest of the flock most of the time.

[@PatientFarmer]

I loved this! My 3 year old actually enjoyed watching with me to the end! I need to be more persuasive to my city officials to allow me to have chickens! OML your clips were so precious! and "Mystery"

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

💟Thank You!💟 Do it it only takes planting that seed to get your officials thinking about it.

[@Curiositykilledit]

GREAT VIDEO. This video provided a lot of valuable information I didn't know since I'm currently experiencing a hen of mine being broody and it's my first time taking care of a broody hen.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

💟Thank You!💟

[@livingfaithhomestead6645]

Thanks for sharing! I have 2 broody hens right now so we may have babies soon!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

I bet you’re so excited! I love it!

[@greemstrider]

Thank you for sharing your experience!! 💞💞💞💞

[@annebird9195]

I had a chicken go broody this last week and I'm trying to figure out how to let her be a mommy comfortably. Cleaned the coop today and was glad when she sat back on the eggs afterwards. I was trying to figure out if I should separate her or not but I guess if you say it's fine that sounds easier anyways.

[@herpderp3916]

I kind of miss having chickens. They're not the most intelligent creatures, bless them, but they do have such distinct personalities.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

This is true! 🤣

[@liesbethverlaeckt8083]

My chicken is currently sitting on air as I'm watching this video... She's definitely the stubborn type 😂 First time any of them have gotten broody and we don't have a rooster, so I didn't know what to do! Thanks for the informative video!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thanks for watching!

[@charsiu_808]

I'm in the same situation..and we are new to chicken keeping..only a couple of years now

[@Sati1979]

Excellent video. I've always been curious about how broody hens eat and what actually causes them to be broody.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

💟Thank You!💟

[@deborahmartin9672]

Excellent informative video. I’ve got some Pekin bantams and they were both nesting on eggs.The first hen hatched 2 chicks….A few days later, the other hen hatched a chick and a day or 2 later I was shocked to see the other hen with 3 chicks! The other hen was still sitting on other eggs because I gave her eggs that were going to hatch at different times…so about 3 days ago I was delighted when another one hatched but this time…she’s staying close to the nest but I did see her today for the first time go further away so I thought she had abandoned the other egg but she went back to the last remaining egg and took this chick with her..I don think she wants to leave this one to be adopted by the other one again! The amazing thing is that I frequently found her eggs sitting in the cold as she wasn’t sitting on them correctly….i would help to push them under her only to find cold eggs yet again…A miracle that she hatched any eggs at all! Are you familiar with both these scenarios?

[@shantigiri2016]

Thank you love from India

[@roostershooter76]

Wyandotte’s go broody frequently, also. I have had a total of 30 hens this year and 6 of them are Gold Laced Wyandotte’s. Super moody and they go broody often.

[@lizxu322]

First ever wyandotte went broody right after laying the first clutch in the first year. Adorable fiesty lady

[@anneharrington7951]

Wow, very thorough and sensible information. I raised chickens for 20 years and never had a chicken go broody. Maybe I didn't allow them and didn't know.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Possibly if you collected the eggs every day. Thank you!

[@ronireland6601]

Very nice and well done i lost my Brody hen lost year when I had a hoak took her life and I found this bird on a fence post looking at me and wanted to fight me for her all the hens and babys and roster were in the hen house ! I took her from it and guarded them and I never came back but my hens are no sitting yet and I stand this was 2 years ago because I now have 5 hens and 1 roster! I use to have 12 to 20 hens and I love my birds too my roster is cool and I give him his space and when I give corn it go's to jay jay and he tells the hens look at this! I thank you for your information about this and I have had years ago my son's teacher loaned us a Incubator i broken a week into it and i Bought a replacement and when the eggs hatched I just gave him the new one as a thank you we had 20 eggs wow what a lot! Lol! I guess I will go to the coop and get 6 to 8 little one's!

[@italwayshitsthefan]

I appreciate your video. I searched broody chicken. Mine are just coming up on 2 years. I got them from a hatchery but for eggs. I got them a good home and let them free range during the evening and weekends when we're home because we got eagle's that try to eat them. I lost my 1st chicken a couple months ago. It was just random I guess. Died in the coop. But now today I had a chicken perfectly fine after letting them out to free range I've got a chicken acting like it's dying. I separated her and immediately I had 4 eggs laid. I'm hoping my chicken lives through the night. But I was worried we has poisoning or something. I'm still learning.

[@snakebite210]

Sounds like a beautiful life you're living. Wish you all the best

[@isislikesyou8605]

My hens who brood in one nest without fighting: Stonks

[@UsmanFaraz854]

Nice short handy information stay blessed

[@Sparklee_draws]

This was super helpful! Thank you! I’m currently trying to get in my fair share of research on this specific Chicken topic, as we have a broody frizzle trying to hatch out six eggs!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you! Are going to let her?

[@Sparklee_draws]

Heck yeah! I Just candled them and I saw movement in one, and I spotted the embryo in another! 7 days into incubation today

[@raygodbout]

Help, I have a brooding hen and I should have chicks in a few weeks. She's nesting in a coop that is about 3 feet off the ground. Food and water are at ground level. When the chicks hatch will mom get her chicks down to the ground level to feed and water? Do I need to move them? Thanks for your videos, very helpful!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

No she won’t get them down they will fall to ground and should be fine. If the nesting boxes were too high she would know not to lay there and try to lay on the ground. You can also put them down yourself after 2-3 days if they haven’t done it themselves. Put some hay down and they will have some extra padding for the trip down. Good luck!

[@adaml262]

When hatching off chicks with a broody hen what do you do for food for the chicks? Do you let them eat layer feed or do you switch all the food over to chick starter?

[@bubblez9104]

Super late response but never give them layer pellets. If you can put the layer pellets at a higher height but always have chick starter for chicks. The hen is fine eating chick starter as well as she won’t be setting for awhile

[@cherylangel1714]

My hen hatched her first chick out today, 2 days before she turns 7 months old. She is so happy!

[@mandywescott707]

Mine is in broody timeout now... Came here for more advice and to make sure I'm doing something right. She's sitting on top of her water now.... 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@luisavalos9535]

My chicken went broody,how long for her to lay eggs after chiks were born?

[@mellorahall5522]

I have a partridge cochin that has gone broody before she is even a year old. I decided to let her hatch some because she seemed pretty adamant about it, she seems to be doing okay. I did separate her while I finish my pen extension so the other hens would quit sitting on her and causing a commotion - Pepper is super loud when she is angry lol.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

They can be feisty when they want babies! Lol good luck!

[@Heartofitall9691]

My buff orp went broody about a week ago. She's only 28 weeks old!! Pulled all her belly feathers out and keeps trying, though she's sweet and I pull the eggs from under her every day. Hoping in 21 days she'll go back to just being a hen!! I'm in the Midwest and it's COLD and SNOWY

[@johnvest466]

Great job pushing the information. You would make a great teacher! Thank You!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you so much!

[@RoosterChan]

Another good breed for hatching eggs in my own personal experience was cochins and Bantam coaches, again they can't sit on as many eggs but they're great mothers, every single time I one of my Bantam coaching girls go broody her sister will also sit in the nesting box all day everyday with her but she's not sitting on a clutch she's just hanging out with her sister and I'm also guessing she does it because I give them a lot more treats to keep their energy levels up. And the sister will also help her look after the chicks and it's funny because the sister who didn't hatch the clutch becomes highly aggressive towards the other chickens while the sister who did hatch it just kind of sits there and keeps the chicks warm

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Yes Cochins are wonderful I love mine!

[@elhombredeoro955]

Best moms in the chicken world are aseel hens. They can hatch large clutches, they stay on top of the pecking order, they are great teachers and are in general excellent moms. They are very determined broodies too.

[@debbiesmith2207]

Great info, well presented. Thanks!

[@nkraemer]

Excellent information. Thank you.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thanks you!

[@JoryBlake]

I really like those 5 gallon buckets! Great idea...

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you! Very cheap and very easy to clean!

[@KulwinderKaur-sd4fk]

How many eggs did the hen laying

[@vipervirus081]

0:29 "you... come here-"

[@thebarefootgardner4687]

Thank you so much for all the info it took 9 videos of not getting all my questions answered to finding yours that answered them all in one video. Thank you. I do have a question tho what do I do if she comes out to eat and drink and doesn’t go back? Instead she roosted w the rest of her flock leaving her clutch alone?????

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

If she did that there might be something wrong with the eggs. They could have either not been fertilized or they died. It’s difficult to get them to sit again if they abandon their clutch, but they usually only abandon it if there’s a problem.

[@mikemacinnes6120]

My bantam is about to hatch 3 chicks she has been on them 17 days. I am in NJ temp at night in 20’s. Daytime 50. Should I take them in garage with heat lamp or heater

[@Roughislandsunrise01]

I like to take my broody hens and put them in a very large dog kennel in the coop. And let them out daily. I find in my flock my girls are calmer when they are in the kennels instead of the regular boxes. It’s also nice because mom isn’t stressed about her chicks running around while she still is sitting on eggs. And yes once chicks hatch I put food and water in with them

[@chucheorozco677]

What incubator do u use and where could I get one 😁😁😁

[@modestiafashion7943]

I have a broody hen. Since their nesting box is mounted high I’m worried that when the chicks hatch they will fall off the box. Should I transfer them lower once they hatch and where?

[@joannhamilton4008]

I am going to try this have one hen I think is broody after seeing your video I realize she is broody! I did separate her and one rooster placed them in a cage right next to the chicken pen. We are not allowed to let them range freely 😢 in our county Gloucester VA. And in the past ,our neighbor calls animal control on us 😢. But praying their hearts will change!

[@chethanatr816]

Thank you for taking care of them🙏

[@therealnorthernchungus3551]

I have a large speckled Sussex who just went broody and it’s one of the coldest winter ever. It’s usually -10 Fahrenheit with wind chill

[@jaredshoemaker9196]

I'm thinking about getting 6-10 chickens for the first time. Broody hens is exactly what i want. Why should I do the work if they'll do it for me. I need all the information i can get. Thanks for the information I greatly appreciate it.

[@usafsoc]

That's pretty cool about the mamma silky. One persons nightmare and another's favorite.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Yes! She never got to hatch a clutch before we got her. He said she tried to hatch the entire time he had her which was two years. He never let her because he incubated the eggs so she would attack him every day when he would collect. She was so happy I gave her eggs as soon as I got her home and she sat immediately. She was the best!

[@KM-pj3cn]

Question: if the broody mom hacked her eggs, how do the chick's get down from the box on the wall and is there a certain height they should be mounted at?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

The chicks will jump off and yes they will be totally fine. The besting boxes should be no more than 3’ high and no lower than 18”.

[@lizxu322]

Discovered my first ever gigantic broody poop in my yard the other day. Hilarious. About as big as an egg

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Don’t step in it! Lol

[@Jay-se5tk]

Hi, I hope you don’t mind me asking for some advice. I don’t know what kind of chicken I have , just know she’s a smaller thin black chicken with white ears lol but she has 6 chicks, not sure what age they are but they are old enough to where I’m able to distinguish the roos from the chickens. We want to get 2-3 more chickens, is it a good idea? Or is it possible the new chickens could still hurt our chicken and the chicks though they aren’t so small anymore? Hope to see your reply 🥰

[@lynngraffigna5152]

Hi I have a 10 month old blue barred rock that my Rhode island red rooster is a favorite the past 6 weeks I had to separate him from the coop he has been overbreeding her and now injured her comb yesterday because she was acting odd well my first year with raising chickens I found out she is acting broody now and want nothing to do with him too but if I let her sit on eggs in the nesting box but not let her free range with him now the eggs won't be fertilized so I don't know what to do

[@mistaalguadrebangbanzio3998]

Thanks 😊 because my white chicken when broody so how do it take for the hatching

[@Natasha_Florida]

This is so informative! Thank you!

[@DanielaMattos1980]

Hi!!! I have a question… I have 4 hens, getting a rooster soon. One of them wants to have chicks… so if I wait two three days and then she has more than enough. Will they hatch all at the same time? Thanks!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Yes because the eggs need to be under the hen for 24 hours straight before they are sort of activated. So once she sits they will all start growing at the same exact time. 😊

[@asinheaven]

This is the first time in three years of keeping chickens that I've had a broody hen. I was planning to get four day chicks this month. Do you think I could safely add them to her cluster of eggs and she might adopt them? She's only been broody 5 days?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

If you can time it so that they arrive when her eggs start hatching she may take them in. It really just depends on her and wether or not she wants to. Keep a watchful eye if you do because if she rejects them she can kill them.

[@asinheaven]

I forgot to mention that I don't have a rooster, so her eggs won't ever hatch. I might try this at 21 days, and see if she will adopt them. Otherwise, I'll raise them in the bathtub as I would have to anyway.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

@@asinheaven Ooooh ok you know maybe you should buy some fertile eggs and put them under her. I’m sure someone sells eggs near you and they might fertile.

[@nancyseaman7574]

This hen I have was laying eggs on the daily base,not laying now but only wants to stay in the nesting box. With or without eggs. I put her down off the box,to eat ,etc. At least once daily. I work around 6 hrs.daily,check on her before and after work.

[@uwaviator]

Great video! I searched you out because I've a single broody hen who killed the first hatch and I'm trying to figure out how to get one of the others broody.

[@MichelleBeahm]

I loooove Cochins!

[@kyliejones9047]

Hello, I found my first broody hen yesterday. Other videos are saying to separate the hen from the flock. I don’t know if the eggs she has are fertilized. My rooster has only been with us for a short time and I don’t know if he’s old enough. The lady I got him from didn’t know his age. I am getting 8 fertilized eggs from a lady down the street to make sure something happens. I’m so excited to go through this experience. #proudchickenmemaw😂

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

How did it go?

[@touchlessgatessrinagar5408]

Can we keep the broody hen in the same coop with six other hens , how do I prevent other from taking the broody one's nesting box , can I move the broody ones to a less occupied nesting box

[@LindseyPiccard-sj3rh]

Such a great video! One question I have a Hen who is broody every other day so I’m not sure what to do with her? Do I leave the eggs or take them? She will stay in the coop on the eggs one day then the next day she comes out the for the whole day I’m not sure if that’s normal or not ? Thanks !

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

She may not be broody she might just be taking her time laying especially if she just started laying. I’ve seen hens sit for hours trying to lay. I would remove the eggs every day unless you want her to hatch then I would let her compile 12 eggs and leave them in there.

[@yavin99]

One of my Sapphires are 7 months and just hatched out her first set of eggs.

[@eurusholmes5066]

What do you use in your nesting boxes?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

They are plastic nesting pads that have a grass texture.

[@ssishida]

Thank you so much for this video. I just noticed the feathers in the nest box! My hens are just over a year and one just started acting like a maniac: she has her tail fanned out and she is doing that posture with her wings out and low like that grey chicken in your video. Could this mean she is starting to go broody??

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Yep that’s a tell!

[@smrose2200]

I'm curious. I have no roosters but I have a 7 month old hen that has been broody for 3 weeks now so I ordered some fertilized eggs for her but curious if being she's only 7 months old is this normal and if I give her some eggs will she know what to do. I remove her every day but she always goes back and sits on everyone's unfertilized eggs. I'm hoping she knows what to do but bought an incubator as a back up plan if it doesn't work out.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Yes she knows what to do. They can go broody at four months.

[@TheEberlyFam]

After buying an incubator my Orpington decided to go broody!(I think) she’s been in the box for a a couple hours it seems and now she’s moving shavings around her..is this a sign of a broody girl?

[@ibrahimbharadia7143]

I have one hen and one rooster and hen has already laid 7eggs but the rooster still copulating with the hen. Wil the hen go broody on its on or do I have to encourage it

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

She will when she has the desired amount of eggs stocked up.

[@shaunchapman8415]

I just got a silkie rooster and hen. They were given to me. Then we purchase to silkie Cochin pullets. It’s almost Thanksgiving and my silkie hen just went broody with no eggs. Since we are still new at all this we really wanted to wait until spring to let her hatch a clutch. I’m trying to break her very humanly from being broody because there are no eggs to be hatched. I guess my question is since I go get her one egg daily how would I have know she was going to go broody? I would have possibly left the eggs but I so no signs until I did lol. How long can the eggs be left out or if I take them in the house and she goes broody can I bring her eggs back to her? Sorry for all the questions I just really want to take care of her.

[@williamwilson4642]

Very informative and helpful, thank you 😊.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you!

[@PracticingLiberty]

Excellent video!

[@ladybugmom79]

Wow! Such a great video! I learned so much! Thank you

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

💟Thank You!💟

[@ChristopherAMacleod]

Hi. Thanks! If I add 6 1-day-old-chicks to a broody hen's 8-day-old chicks, would she get upset? Or would she just carry on?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

It really just depends on the hen. Give them to her if she starts screaming take them away. If she makes soft chirps and doesn’t peck them she’s probably going to take them in fine. You’ll know if she doesn’t want them.

[@ChristopherAMacleod]

@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage Thanks. I didn't wait to hear, just did it. :) All went fine!!

[@antonio-gc9xr]

Your video is very good. Thanks! What do you do when he does attack you? Somebody recommends holding him face down, beak on the ground. What do you think about a combo stick and carrot approach? Beak on the ground if he attacks, raisins if he doesn't

[@WindsofChange]

Broodiness depends on breed and how they were bred. Some breeds have been bred to not brood much or at all, others haven't been bred that way...it just depends. Love your bucket nest boxes.

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

It doesn’t depend on breed at all, chickens aren’t bred to go broody from hatcheries but any chicken can go broody they still have that instinct. I’ve never had a chicken that didn’t go broody and I’ve had just about every breed I could think of. They will figure it out if they have the opportunity.

[@WindsofChange]

@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage As a chicken breeder for 14+ years it does most definitely have to do with breed. Chickens came with that instinct initially but some have been selectively bred to NOT have that instinct anymore- due to breeding for reduced Prolactin (the hormone that initiates broodiness). If you've not had purebred chickens and instead chickens from a hatchery then you truly have had every breed there is because while the hatcheries might to try to tell you they're pure whatever. That would be false. They are interested in numbers and not quality and just about everything they have is crossbred. What you end up with in that scenario is a bird that could be anything with any mix of genes for various needs. You could get one that is strong for not being broody or you could get one that is strong for it. So the fact that you've never had a bird not go broody means very little. It just means that you have gotten birds with the genetics that are reasonably strong enough for brooding. That doesn't surprise me as the default is to brood and given crossing out enough that breeding for not brooding will disappear in favor of the default genes. But don't believe me, read it from a vet- "Breeds that were selectively bred for excessive egg production, such as the white Leghorn, rarely show broody behavior. This is because broodiness is undesirable for the egg industry, because they artificially incubate eggs through hatcheries. " www.poultrydvm.com/condition/broodiness

[@rapscallion3421]

@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage i agree with winds of change, it most definitely depends on the breed. Chickens aren't bred with certain instincts at a hatchery. Their instincts will date back hundreds of years ago when they were created. The leghorn is a great example, And i highly doubt you have any broodys that are white leg horns. When I first started with chickens back in the 90s I had a bunch of barnyard mixes that I had gotten from a big hatchery, after about a year they had all parished from predators, this is when I realized chicken breeds are very different and some survive better than others, I have been raising American games now for almost 11 years now and have lost only 6 to predators, mind you these guys roost in the trees at night not in a coop. They are the hardiest birds I've ever had and get stronger every year as I am very selective on the breeding. Long story short stop using these big name hatcheries, they overbreed many favorible chick breeds and in return are pretty much left with a mutt of a chicken who has lost all instincts. Chickens from hatcheries are human dependant...that's not a good thing.

[@princearthur4946]

Excellent presentation!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you!

[@chrismartin7003]

All my hens are like a month shy of a year but I just had two go broody (a Buff Orpington and an Ameraucana. The Buff quit after about a week but the Ameraucana seems to be in it for the long run, even plucked her belly feathers). These are our first chickens but we think our Ameraucana would make a great mama so we want her to have some chicks to try raising. Now, I swear I looked through every comment, lol. I saw that you answered twice about chicks being fine falling out of the 3 foot nesting box, but what about going back up? Does the mama pick a place down low with them or…? Lol. We have like an 8-10 inch lip inside the coop holding up the pine shavings from the electric coop door, would they be able to get up that or should we modify it? Sorry for the long comment but I really liked your video and you seem to answer people, lol. Thank you a lot for your video and time!!

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Well usually they will jump down from the nesting box and the mama will then make a new nest on the ground. You can help her with that and make like a little crate nest but ultimately after a couple of days they should be nesting on the ground.

[@chrismartin7003]

@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage oh sweet! We actually added a nesting box at ground level a few months ago just to have an extra one but of course she isn’t in that one, lol. Maybe she’ll move to it after. Should we add a ramp or something to get in the coop, since it’s like 8 inches up?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

@@chrismartin7003 It couldn’t hurt it won’t be too long before they can jump that high.

[@chrismartin7003]

@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage thank you very much for the replies/help!

[@210GrainsOfJustice]

Great info I’ve got a hen in the laying box now when I reach in to remove the eggs her feathers go up like she’s mad lol I’ll pull her out today.

[@aaronforren8820]

Thanks very helpful.

[@kellymanon6791]

Thank you for this video.

[@organixgirl]

So someone mentioned that they won’t get off if broody. I have a first year hen and just the past 3 days she i believe is broody shes all puffed up, she keeps grunting at everyone and hasnt laid i did have to take her off the nest, the other hens started pecking her back feathers because she wouldnt move i hope its broody and not something else she also plucked all the chest feathers off. The shot of her blacm hen with her wings out IS EXACTLY WHAT SHES DOING. thank you no one gave me any help but i do know now shes trying to go broody … shes a sapphire gem btw

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Yep she probably is. Are you going to let her hatch some?

[@colmangreen6029]

My serama hen decided to hide her eggs on a pile of straw bales high up in the wood shed and go broody on them. I daren't take her and her clutch down because she gets so finicky and upset. But what will happen once the chicks hatch? How will they get down?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

They will jump down and be fine if they have a soft space to land. Or you can help them down 2-3 days after they hatch.

[@Baabs90]

Thank you for this great video on broody hens. I have my first broody hen setting now. Question ... if you are leaving the baby chicks and mama hen with the rest of the flock do you have to change to a chick starter feed & stop feeding a layer pellet?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Yes and chick starter did not affect my layers one bit. At four weeks they are all on layer feed. However I don’t use pellets I use crumbles for everything.

[@patriotu.s.elections7879]

So awesome you teach us . priceless

[@jessicaschade2964]

Very helpful video, thank you!

[@Tennessee_trapper]

What breed is the hen you're petting at 3:07 and what color eggs does she lay?

[@Tennessee_trapper]

Never mind just needed to watch the video all the way through

[@iamhis5580]

How long does it take to hatch the chicks after the hen starts sitting on the eggs?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

It takes 21 days sometimes it could take a day or two longer.

[@iamhis5580]

@@MilkAndHoneyAcreage - thank you!

[@showboatentertainment]

How many breeds you have right now ?

[@aletheacrocker1205]

I just had a hen that has seven eggs push an egg out from under her. she left it out and didnt put it back under her but is keeping the other six. what does that mean? is she rejecting the egg?

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

It’s probably dead.

[@heathermilne6084]

That is the cutest young Cowboy I ever did see 🙂

[@heathermilne6084]

Oh, & yea ! & Great video...ty

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Thank you! He’s a sweetie pie and he’s going to love this comment!

[@rocketxd6795]

So we have isa browns and we have had them for a year.one of are hens went broody but we had to clean out her nest because, it smelled like rotten eggs.we got her out of her nest .we put some of the eggs back after we cleaned it.but she hasn’t gone back in.is she still broody?

[@sydneysmith900]

One of my Roos has been chasing my broody hen the minute she leaves the nest. She puffs up all her feathers and seems super stressed. Should I just let this play out or get rid of that rooster? I’m worried the chicks will be killed by the roo

[@MilkAndHoneyAcreage]

Let it play out. She has to learn to submit and she will and all will be peaceful again.