How to Break a Broody Hen

[battagliac]

We have a buff orpington that's been broody now for about 5 weeks now. We read that putting ice underneath worked and tried it but no luck. She is not on any eggs because our other hens abandon the big coop where she is weeks ago and are laying in our older small coop. Before that we were removing the eggs daily because we don't want chicks right now, but she is determined to stay in there for nothing. Sounds like I need to get a wire cage and try isolating her off the ground. Any other advice?

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

Can you tell me where you purchased the wire cage for $10.00? I may have
to get one for my broody Jenny.
Thanks,

My local Goodwill always has all kinds of dog crates for sale. Give it a good scrub and they'd be great for a broody.

 

[TheSpiceGirls]

We have a buff orpington that's been broody now for about 5 weeks now. We read that putting ice underneath worked and tried it but no luck. She is not on any eggs because our other hens abandon the big coop where she is weeks ago and are laying in our older small coop. Before that we were removing the eggs daily because we don't want chicks right now, but she is determined to stay in there for nothing. Sounds like I need to get a wire cage and try isolating her off the ground. Any other advice?

I'd recommend the wire cage technique if you are not going to let her raise babies.

My BO has gone broody 5 times this year. She's just about due to go again but she's just started to molt so I'm REALLY hoping she can't do both at the same time and takes a break from bring broody.

I'm getting a new coop in a month and will turn my tiny old coop into a maternity ward so next spring, first hen to go broody gets to be a mama.

 

[CityGirl35]

Really? I wouldn't do that. Seems cruel. The cage worked great for me.

Seems to me that literally 10 seconds of dunking was not that cruel. To me it would be harder to separate a social animal from her flock-mates for 4 or 5 days. And that one dunking cured her and it hasn't happened since. I would never be cruel to my chickens but I do accept that what seems cruel to one person might not to another.

 

[dianalhanson]

I have a buff Orph as well. She has been brooding now for about 3 weeks.
I only have 4hens. I am making some progress with her, I set her in a cool
bath and close off the coop complety so she has to stay outside . She will
then eat and drink. At night I close off the laying nests so she has to roost.
Poor thing, wants to be a mommy but I really don't want any baby chicks
right now and besides I do not have a Rooster. She is not laying eggs right
now but will sit on the other hens eggs or just sit in the nest and brood.
Not sure how long this will go on. I tried the ice packs in the nest, didn't work
with her. I do think the wrie cage would maybe work. I may try it also.
GOOD LUCK!

 

[dianalhanson]

My Jennie finally gave up on brooding. She is now back to normal.
It lasted about 4 weeks. Blocking off the laying nest and closing
off the hen house seemed to work best.

 

[CarlyChick]

My buff orp just stopped being broody this morning (after 3 weeks; we finally separated her). She didn't lay eggs during that time at all, so I'm wondering when she will start laying again?

 

[appps]

My little Rhode Island Red hen, Rosie, went broody this morning. She laid an egg, the whole time making the "motherly clicking" noise I saw some people mention here. First time I ever heard that. Then she just refused to get off the nest. I kept kicking her out and she kept going back. I kicked her out of the coop to go foraging in the woods, which is her favorite thing in the world to do and she came running back and jumped into the old coop I had left open. The old coop had chicken wire on the bottom so I propped it up and made it into a "broody buster." I saw that it said to put them in there for 3-4 days or until they lay an egg. Since she laid one this morning, I am confused as to whether or not she is actually broody. Do they go broody immediately after laying an egg? And if she does lay an egg, does that mean she is definitely over it? How will I know for sure? My flock only consists of one other hen, so keeping them apart kind of sucks because they are best buds. Any help you can give would be great.

Are you home of a day? If you only have two hens it may be just as easy to just lock them both out of the nest box and if you see the non broody trying to get in go and let her in for a while then let her out again so she has access but not the broody. It will keep the other off the nest which is all it takes to break the broody behaviour whichever method you use to achieve it. Just make sure she has no access to the nestbox 24 hrs a day for 3 days and she should be over it.

And yes I've had them lay an egg for the first couple of days they are showing signs of being broody.

 

[ValerieNelson]

Hi everyone,

I'm a fairly new chicken keeper and have 4 lovely Golden Comet hens. It's such a pleasure to watch the girls and reap the benefits of their eggs for us and to share with neighbors!

In the past 6-8 weeks I've been fighting a broody hen. We don't want to get her fertilized eggs to sit on at this point. I put her out of the nesting box multiple times every day and she will stay out to drink and eat, but then goes right back unless I shut up the coop and make everyone stay out. After I've gotten the eggs for the day I do that too -- make everyone stay out.

No luck breaking Ms. Broody yet so I'm considering borrowing a rabbit cage and making a Broody Buster.

This is all background to my real question: Ms. Broody's comb is looking sickly. It's pale and doesn't stand up nicely like the other hens. And, she is missing feathers on her belly. Are either of these cause for concern and should they effect my Broody Busting?

Thanks for any help!
Valerie

 

[pamschick]

My neighbor's buff Orpington has gone broody two times. Both times were when my neighbor was out of town for an extended period of time. The comb on her broody hen went ale and sickly too. So I went to the local feed store and bought a container of mealy worms. I took her off the nest and outside of the pen, I gave her some worms. This helped her immensely!! She LOVES the worms. A few days later her comb was perked up and she stopped brooding.