Breaking Broody

[MarlaMac]

What I've done in years past with these silkie hens is take the broody ones to the dog kennel which is on the other side of the property. It's gravel with two dog houses in it.

Every morning, I take the broody one(s) to the kennel. At dusk, we open the gate and they run to the coop. (Dogs need their dog houses). The next morning, I do the same thing, sometimes there are none left in the coop, hurrah! It takes four days for everyone else... except Marsha!

Day SIX! I'm going to have to try something else with her if she doesn't snap out of it by morning!
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Hope she snaps out of her broodiness!

 

[RoyalChick]

How is it going @MarlaMac? My young lady is pooping normally and I am pleased to say she is eating.
I was worried that she was very silent - but this morning she seemed to be chatting to the others in her normal voice.
It has been just over 48 hours in the slammer and nearly 60 hours excluded from her nest (if you don't count the 10 mins it took me to run out and haul her out to lock her in jail).
I think she may be ready for a trial release!

 

[MarlaMac]

How is it going @MarlaMac? My young lady is pooping normally and I am pleased to say she is eating.
I was worried that she was very silent - but this morning she seemed to be chatting to the others in her normal voice.
It has been just over 48 hours in the slammer and nearly 60 hours excluded from her nest (if you don't count the 10 mins it took me to run out and haul her out to lock her in jail).
I think she may be ready for a trial release!

Yay for your gal.

Mine is still in broody jail. She pooped this morning - definitely a broody poop - smelly! She still grumbles at everyone that goes near her. We let her out for about 10 min yesterday - we reset the broody jail for overnight and she did not have access to the nest while she was out. She groomed herself for a bit, but as soon as she had an opportunity she headed back to the nest, but was intercepted by us and put back in broody jail.

I hope your trial release proves that she is over her broodiness! Thanks for checking in!

 

[RoyalChick]

Yay for your gal.

Mine is still in broody jail. She pooped this morning - definitely a broody poop - smelly! She still grumbles at everyone that goes near her. We let her out for about 10 min yesterday - we reset the broody jail for overnight and she did not have access to the nest while she was out. She groomed herself for a bit, but as soon as she had an opportunity she headed back to the nest, but was intercepted by us and put back in broody jail.

I hope your trial release proves that she is over her broodiness! Thanks for checking in!

I am feeling cautiously optimistic. She hasn’t gone back to the nest. But she has made some broody noises and I worry she is looking for alternative nest sites!
Here is my little jailbird just daring me to lock her up again!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I am feeling cautiously optimistic. She hasn’t gone back to the nest. But she has made some broody noises and I worry she is looking for alternative nest sites!

As long as she stays out of the nests that's the main thing. Sometimes even when they're broken enough to not go sit in the nests they'll still make a few broody sounds, or puff up on occasion, and you don't need to cage them for that.

 

[RoyalChick]

As long as she stays out of the nests that's the main thing. Sometimes even when they're broken enough to not go sit in the nests they'll still make a few broody sounds, or puff up on occasion, and you don't need to cage them for that.

Well that did not go as expected.
She spent over 7 hours without showing any interest in her nest. She bathed, she foraged and enjoyed some yummy bugs she found, she hung out with her friends and preened. Everything seemed good apart from a few broody sounds.
Then it started to get dark and everyone heading in to roost.
She suddenly seemed to remember - she screamed bloody murder and ran back to the nest.

I hauled her out and put her on the roost - but she was having none of that - so I hauled her out again and have popped her back in the cage.
I really thought we had cracked it!
What do you think - another 48 hours? Longer?
Any advice very welcome.

 

[rosemarythyme]

What do you think - another 48 hours? Longer?
Any advice very welcome.

I'd do another 24 hours and reassess (and potentially need to do it again the following day). She's probably close to tipping over to the side of "fine, I'll break" but not quite there yet.

I have a hen that loves to sloooowly slide into being broody (it takes weeks for her to commit, she's been doing it all spring!) and then takes up to 5 days to break. And after she's broken she always gives off the vibe of "I'm still thinking about it" so it is hard to tell when she's actually done. Too bad she wouldn't just commit, I have chicks I could've put under her.

 

[RoyalChick]

I'd do another 24 hours and reassess (and potentially need to do it again the following day). She's probably close to tipping over to the side of "fine, I'll break" but not quite there yet.

I have a hen that loves to sloooowly slide into being broody (it takes weeks for her to commit, she's been doing it all spring!) and then takes up to 5 days to break. And after she's broken she always gives off the vibe of "I'm still thinking about it" so it is hard to tell when she's actually done. Too bad she wouldn't just commit, I have chicks I could've put under her.

Thanks.
They really know how to mess with us - I mean honestly, she had a great day out and about, I was feeling so confident in her!

 

[MarlaMac]

At 36 hours, we let ours out for a bit of foraging with the group. She stayed away from the nests for a good 1 1/2 hours. She mainly sat on a rock and preened, then took a dust bathe. All the sudden she hightailed it back to the coop and to her favorite nest. That was yesterday evening.

Today - she made a big broody poop mess in her cage around 2pm. That is about the 56 hour mark of broody jail. I let her out while I cleaned the cage. She went out into the run ate some and drank some then out of the run under the tree and dust bathed for about 1/2 hour. I came back outside and she was in a nest. I went to pick her up and she had grabbed a hold of an egg but dropped it about a foot up from a ledge.

Back to the broody cage. Tomorrow evening will be 84 hours. We shall see. I almost want to advertise "broody for hire" to see if anyone has a clutch they want hatched and let her do that and raise the babies for a few weeks and then have the person come pick all of them up. My only worry is that they will lose interest in the meantime and I will be stuck with a bunch of chicks I do not want or need.

Hopefully, her hormones will return to non-broody soon.

 

[RoyalChick]

At 36 hours, we let ours out for a bit of foraging with the group. She stayed away from the nests for a good 1 1/2 hours. She mainly sat on a rock and preened, then took a dust bathe. All the sudden she hightailed it back to the coop and to her favorite nest. That was yesterday evening.

Today - she made a big broody poop mess in her cage around 2pm. That is about the 56 hour mark of broody jail. I let her out while I cleaned the cage. She went out into the run ate some and drank some then out of the run under the tree and dust bathed for about 1/2 hour. I came back outside and she was in a nest. I went to pick her up and she had grabbed a hold of an egg but dropped it about a foot up from a ledge.

Back to the broody cage. Tomorrow evening will be 84 hours. We shall see. I almost want to advertise "broody for hire" to see if anyone has a clutch they want hatched and let her do that and raise the babies for a few weeks and then have the person come pick all of them up. My only worry is that they will lose interest in the meantime and I will be stuck with a bunch of chicks I do not want or need.

Hopefully, her hormones will return to non-broody soon.

Oh this is not encouraging!
I was going to do another trial release tomorrow! That will be a second 48 hour period.
Sigh.