inhumane?

[Twinkkitten]

Henrietta, my year old Barred Rock had been broody for more than a month. I just couldn't stand seeing her sit in my cat carrier anymore. So today I brought her out. It's about 95 today.I gave her a cool gentle bath. Now she is out grazing and running around. She was clucking and running and stretching her wings. She dug around and played in her mud puddle. She ate and drank water. Had a fruit treat. I read so much conflicting info on breaking a brooder. I read if you cool down the chest it changes the hormones. Thoughts?

 

[Mountain Peeps]

I didn't know that! I've heard of putting a frozen water bottle in the nest to discourage broodiness but I didn't know it effected hormones. I guess I'm not caught up on all the chicken stuff out there!

The link attached should help. (I also feel bad when I break my hen's broody cycles too! But, if they aren't hatching anything, it's bad for them to just sit.)


https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/encouraging-or-discouraging-broodiness-in-your-hens

 

[Twinkkitten]

Excellent article. So many chicken advice sites recommend this method but it is just too hot here to isolate her in a coop. So I soaked her in a cool bath and she is doing great. Back to her normal self.

 

[Mountain Peeps]

Excellent article. So many chicken advice sites recommend this method but it is just too hot here to isolate her in a coop. So I soaked her in a cool bath and she is doing great. Back to her normal self.

Good to hear!!!

 

[azygous]

That's so great the cool bath worked! However, I caution you and everyone that one method won't necessarily work for every broody, nor may it work every time with this particular hen.

My last broody took two weeks in the broody cage to break, while two current broodies seem to be easily discouraged by simply removing them from the nest whenever I find them there, and set outside to free range.

A cool dunk may snap one broody out of her hormonal daze, while another will immediately return to the nest, soaking wet or not.

My hen Linda has been broody eleven times in her short two years of life. I imagine her hormones are a lot stronger than my other two current broodies, and being broody for them isn't the do or die compulsion it is for Linda. While many of my other hens have been broody only once or twice, Linda has been regularly broody from age seven months, every month from spring to the end of summer.

There are as many broody cures as there are different intensities of broody. This time a cool soak worked. Next time, don't count on it!

 

[Kazfam]

We have had two brooders as of late. Tried the water dunk method, but that did not work.

So we isolated the hen inside the run in her own little area with her own food and water. 2-3 days did the trick.
At night she was allowed in the coop but we covered the nesting boxes so she could not access them.

It is hard to let them brood when there is no egg under them (or an unfertilized egg under them) - they get very, very warm and can sometimes refuse to eat or drink. They can die if this is allowed to continue. It takes 21 days to hatch a fertilized egg, BTW.

How long does it take to hatch a chicken egg?

 

[dikbiscuit]

Personally, I would rather break a hen of her broodiness ASAP, than risk her not doing anything else and dying from lack of activity.

 

[Twinkkitten]

It was more than a quick dunk, I held her in the cool water for about 5 minutes, twice. It definitely did the trick! Lets see if I get my brown egg soon.