Anothet Broody

[Iluveggers]

Leave her in it for a couple of day's before you let her out, then see if she tries to go back to the nest box again. Hopefully she won't, so you won't have to put her back in the crate.

Thanks for all of your help!

 

[BlueBaby]

Thanks for all of your help!

No problem. Feb. isn't as cold here as where you are at, so I will hatch. That way, my chick's will be outside and adjusted to the heat temp's. before it hit's the desert here.

 

[Iluveggers]

I was going to suggest you get another crate.
Open the nest after dark tonight, or early tomorrow morning.
I would just wait until tomorrow night, if she's in the nest then put her in the breaker crate.

Thank you!

No problem. Feb. isn't as cold here as where you are at, so I will hatch. That way, my chick's will be outside and adjusted to the heat temp's. before it hit's the desert here.

That’s a great idea. I am planning to hatch eggs in March/April, and wouldn’t be so worried about a first time broody with a few degrees warmer!

Thank goodness the next few days should be above freezing. I was next trying to figure out how to keep a small waterer in the crate without freezing. One less problem, at least Mother Nature is cooperating.

 

[aart]

Ok thank you. I’ll do that. Up on bricks, with no bottom piece except a piece of wood to sit on, right? Food & water accessible (I’ll pull the chick ones). Anything I’m forgetting?

Here's how I do it:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

 

[fluffycrow]

Do you have a breed that is known to go broody?

Sort of. My mixes are the only chickens that can go broody, but they were on the younger side last year so I didn't have high expectations

 

[16 and me]

Yall, I might be the only person on this forum that wishes their chickens went broody more often! 2022 I only had one broody that quit after 2 and a half weeks. This year better be different

You're not the only one. I did have a broody sit and hatch 6 eggs in August... 5 were cockerels though I am thankful for the solitary Americauna pullet that should soon start laying some pretty blue eggs

 

[Wot The Flock]

Up on bricks, with no bottom piece except a piece of wood to sit on, right?

Suitable cage floor (ie not too wide, not too narrow). You want to get coolness and airflow to her under regions. Generally it is the warm weather that triggers them, but it sounds as if yours has 'flipped her switch' during the cooler months? Wow, go figure.

ETA, I used a 25mm/1" mesh floor for mine. Not too wide that her legs will go through, but plenty of air flow.

 

[Iluveggers]

Update:
I left the nest boxes covered until 6:30am. Peeled in the coop window and all were on the roost bar still. Went in to uncover, aaaaand…..stepped on an egg. My broody laid it right in the doorway.

I let them all out into the run. When I left for work at 8, she was still foraging through the dry leaf pile I put out for them yesterday.

I got home around 4 with the dog crate. She was still in the run, and I let them out into the garden for about an hour. Found two eggs behind my laundry basket nest box (they moved it), two underneath my nest box shelf, (all of the straw in the nest boxes was all over the coop), and one *new* egg in the run (my EE first egg!) She must have tried to get comfy and didn’t know what to do, making a mess in the process. The feeder was knocked over too, so must’ve been some crazy hormones going on with a broken broody & new layers. Not sure why all the eggs got laid in weird places. I replaced all the straw bedding and fingers crossed they won’t be so wild tomorrow.

She went to roost tonight like normal. Good news is I have a brand new dog crate in the garage at the ready for the next sign of a sitter. Lol

Thank you all for your help.

 

[aart]

She went to roost tonight like normal. Good news is I have a brand new dog crate in the garage at the ready for the next sign of a sitter. Lol

That's why I like to wait until I find them in the nest at night.

 

[Iluveggers]

That's why I like to wait until I find them in the nest at night.

Oh, she was going into the nest last night, chased her in & out for 20 minutes before I figured out a way to close them off without risking something falling on her. Very glad she went to roost tonight without a fight!