Another broody with no rooster...how to handle?

[gingertemple]

I just had a second hen go broody last night. I want to break her of it. How big of a wire crate should I use? Do I leave it inside of the run somewhere so that she is still with the other hands?

 

[junebuggena]

She still needs shelter from rain and sun so inside a coop or a garage is best. Any size crate will work as long as it's big enough for the hen plus food and water. It does need to be elevated up off the ground.

 

[mobius]

I put my crate in the covered run so she could see the flock during the day...

 

[gingertemple]

If the bottom is wire and she is off the ground won't that hurt her feet? The spaces between the bars on my crate on the bottom or 3 x 5".

Edited: never mind, I found a better chicken crate.

 

[junebuggena]

As long as the spaces are small enough to keep the feet from falling through, there are no issues with keeping a hen on wire for a few days. It's not like she's going to be walking around much anyways.

 

[mobius]

I think my recently broken broody has started laying again already! I found six eggs this morning ( I have six chix) and one was tiny!

So cute. That would be the solid sign the broodiness is indeed over! Hoping! Fingers crossed.

 

[gingertemple]

So they just stay in the wire crate the whole time. I don't bring them in at night? Our nighttime temperatures are in the high 40s currently

 

[junebuggena]

Yep. They stay in the cage till they snap out of it. It's pretty obvious when it works. It's like they just wake up one morning and they are back to their normal selves. And 40 degrees is not even a little bit chilly for chickens.

 

[gingertemple]

Thanks everyone. I'm still fairly new to this whole chicken-hood

 

[mobius]

My clue was when she was scrabbling to get out of the wire cage. The first couple of days she was quite docile about being in the cage, but day three she did not like the confinement anymore. She is still a bit of a pill about this but I am keeping an eye on her and she is out with the flock now.

For example, this evening, she was in the nest box when the others were on the roost. i pulled her out, gave her a kiss, and put her on the roost. It may not be over, but we are close.

She was out all day with her flock. It is just a bit hard to break. I think she was broody far longer than I realized.