At wits end...

[dustcover]

My Orpington has taken to brooding. I've tried a number of things to no avail. Presently the procedure I'm trying is as follows. In the morning I find her in the run with the other 7 hens. I remove her and put her in a dog kennel/cage with a grill type floor. A bowl of water and a bowl of food is available to her. Late in the afternoon/early evening, I block off the 4 nesting boxes in the coop. I then release her back into the run. She immediately heads for the nest and carefully inspects the blocked off nest boxes. After a bit, she hops up on one of the two the roosting rods where she spends the night with the other hens.

In the morning, I again find her in the run with the others. I remove the boards blocking the nest boxes and she immediately heads into the coop and to one of the nests. I reach in and gently lift her with little resistance out of the nest and return her to the kennel cage where she spends the entire day.

This isn't working.

Any suggestions to alternative methods of breaking the brooding cycle would be appreciated.

 

[KoopOnTruckin]

I would suggest taking away the step where you allow her to come off the roost and into the coop so she cannot head toward the nesting box. Or just keep her in the cage for a few days by herself, so she can see the others having a good time without the nest.