Broody Hen? How to Break Her (or Keep Her Sitting)
Once Upon A Farm
1,416 views
Have you ever gone out to collect the eggs and found one of your hens has turned into a pecking, squawking nest box monster — or an unblinking statue who's never going to move? That's a broody hen. Here's what's actually going on, and what you can do about it.
It's spring here in New Zealand, which is peak broody season, so today I'm walking you through exactly how I handle broody hens in my flock — whether I want them to stop, or I want them to hatch chicks somewhere safer than the spot they picked.
In this episode:
✅ What a broody hen actually is, and what triggers it (day length, temperature, eggs in the nest)
✅ Why she's attached to the SPOT, not the eggs, and how you can use that
✅ Incubation mode vs mothering mode: the only two things that switch a broody off
✅ Why you shouldn't just wait it out (parasites, no eggs, and her health)
✅ My broody pen method for breaking a broody hen: the 3-night rule
✅ How to move a broody you DO want to hatch with, without her abandoning the nest
✅ Food, water and dust bathing for a sitting hen
✅ Safe handling: why gloves are your friend
📬 For more backyard chicken and food production content, join the newsletter:
https://newsletter.onceuponafarm.co.nz
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 The nest box monster (and the nest box statue)
0:51 What is a broody hen?
1:07 What triggers broodiness
1:51 It's about the spot, not the eggs
3:12 Incubation mode vs mothering mode
4:13 Why you shouldn't just wait it out
4:36 Life as a broody: 23½ hours on the nest
5:20 Broody or "clucky"? The telltale sound
5:56 The health cost of staying broody
7:01 How to break a broody hen
7:59 My broody pen setup
9:09 The three-night rule
9:57 Food, water & why it's for her own good
10:52 Moving a broody you want to keep sitting
12:31 When to put the real eggs under her
13:17 Food, water & dust bathing for a sitting hen
14:49 Safety tip: gloves & long sleeves
15:29 Wrap-up
🔗 RELATED EPISODES:
• How to Hatch Chicks With a Broody Hen: How To Hatch Chicks With A Broody Hen
• Your Complete Guide to Raising Chicks With a Broody Hen (Weeks 1 & 2): 🐣Your Complete Guide To Raising Chicks Wit...
• When broody hatching goes wrong (Goldilocks' story): Hatching Chicks With Broody Hens — What Ca...
• Breeding Chickens in a Free Range Flock: Breeding Chickens in a Free Range Flock; M...
💬 Have you got a broody right now? Is she a nest box monster or a nest box statue? Tell me in the comments.
🔔 SUBSCRIBE for new backyard chicken and self-sufficiency content every Wednesday:
@onceuponafarmnz
#BackyardChickens #BroodyHen #ChickenKeeping
8 Comments
Broody Hen? How to Break Her (or Keep Her Sitting)
Once Upon A Farm
1,416 views
Have you ever gone out to collect the eggs and found one of your hens has turned into a pecking, squawking nest box monster — or an unblinking statue who's never going to move? That's a broody hen. Here's what's actually going on, and what you can do about it.
It's spring here in New Zealand, which is peak broody season, so today I'm walking you through exactly how I handle broody hens in my flock — whether I want them to stop, or I want them to hatch chicks somewhere safer than the spot they picked.
In this episode:
✅ What a broody hen actually is, and what triggers it (day length, temperature, eggs in the nest)
✅ Why she's attached to the SPOT, not the eggs, and how you can use that
✅ Incubation mode vs mothering mode: the only two things that switch a broody off
✅ Why you shouldn't just wait it out (parasites, no eggs, and her health)
✅ My broody pen method for breaking a broody hen: the 3-night rule
✅ How to move a broody you DO want to hatch with, without her abandoning the nest
✅ Food, water and dust bathing for a sitting hen
✅ Safe handling: why gloves are your friend
📬 For more backyard chicken and food production content, join the newsletter:
https://newsletter.onceuponafarm.co.nz
⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 The nest box monster (and the nest box statue)
0:51 What is a broody hen?
1:07 What triggers broodiness
1:51 It's about the spot, not the eggs
3:12 Incubation mode vs mothering mode
4:13 Why you shouldn't just wait it out
4:36 Life as a broody: 23½ hours on the nest
5:20 Broody or "clucky"? The telltale sound
5:56 The health cost of staying broody
7:01 How to break a broody hen
7:59 My broody pen setup
9:09 The three-night rule
9:57 Food, water & why it's for her own good
10:52 Moving a broody you want to keep sitting
12:31 When to put the real eggs under her
13:17 Food, water & dust bathing for a sitting hen
14:49 Safety tip: gloves & long sleeves
15:29 Wrap-up
🔗 RELATED EPISODES:
• How to Hatch Chicks With a Broody Hen: How To Hatch Chicks With A Broody Hen
• Your Complete Guide to Raising Chicks With a Broody Hen (Weeks 1 & 2): 🐣Your Complete Guide To Raising Chicks Wit...
• When broody hatching goes wrong (Goldilocks' story): Hatching Chicks With Broody Hens — What Ca...
• Breeding Chickens in a Free Range Flock: Breeding Chickens in a Free Range Flock; M...
💬 Have you got a broody right now? Is she a nest box monster or a nest box statue? Tell me in the comments.
🔔 SUBSCRIBE for new backyard chicken and self-sufficiency content every Wednesday:
@onceuponafarmnz
#BackyardChickens #BroodyHen #ChickenKeeping