Barred Rock is broody and now sad?

[Kazzy112233]

Hi everybody!

I currently have two barred rock hens and a rooster what I believe is a Rhode Island Red. Picture attached. One barred rock has become very broody and I have quarantined her for a night in a dog cage as such and put her away from the rest in a safe spot.

They run freely in our garden during the day so I let her out in the morning and closed off the coop so she doesn’t retreat to her usual spot.

She has today lost her appetite and stands around in the corners of the garden with her neck tucked into her body and is very sad looking. she doesn’t React to treats whatsoever. She does still eat and drink water, but not at the same level.

She has not tried getting into the coop like before but near nighttime she followed in the others and I had to take her out and put her into the cage for the night again. I’m concerned the quarantining to break her broodiness is backfiring.

Can I please have some pointers if possible please? What can I do to cheer her up and am I doing right to cage her to break the broodiness?

thanks kaz

 

[Wyorp Rock]

How old is she?

When she followed the others in for the night, did she try to roost or was she trying to sit?

For sure she's broody? Check her crop to see if it's empty in the morning. Has she been laying eggs consistently up until she became broody?
Photos of her poop would be good.

 

[Kazzy112233]

How old is she?

When she followed the others in for the night, did she try to roost or was she trying to sit?

For sure she's broody? Check her crop to see if it's empty in the morning. Has she been laying eggs consistently up until she became broody?
Photos of her poop would be good.

thank you for your reply!

I put her in a slightly bigger cage today in the garden - not letting her run free as usual and she’s still standing still with her neck tucked in

shes about a year old - I took her in from a friend of a friend.

when she followed the rest in yesterday she went up to sit like before and tried pecking me if I went close to her.

Yes she was laying eggs regularly before the brooding - she post the broodiness tries sitting on the other chickens eggs before I get a chance to move them out! Ahha she does a cute little beak roll to push the egg closer to her.

Sorry the cage was cleaned out before I saw I had a reply. The poop seems normal from what I can recall. I’ll get more pics when possible.

kind regards

Kaz

 

[Smithyard Farm]

Hi everybody!

I currently have two barred rock hens and a rooster what I believe is a Rhode Island Red. Picture attached. One barred rock has become very broody and I have quarantined her for a night in a dog cage as such and put her away from the rest in a safe spot.

They run freely in our garden during the day so I let her out in the morning and closed off the coop so she doesn’t retreat to her usual spot.

She has today lost her appetite and stands around in the corners of the garden with her neck tucked into her body and is very sad looking. she doesn’t React to treats whatsoever. She does still eat and drink water, but not at the same level.

She has not tried getting into the coop like before but near nighttime she followed in the others and I had to take her out and put her into the cage for the night again. I’m concerned the quarantining to break her broodiness is backfiring.

Can I please have some pointers if possible please? What can I do to cheer her up and am I doing right to cage her to break the broodiness?

thanks kaz

I never had much luck with the dog cage thing. I always ended up giving her a few eggs. Do you have room for 2 or 3 more? If not, maybe others will reply.

 

[Kazzy112233]

I never had much luck with the dog cage thing. I always ended up giving her a few eggs. Do you have room for 2 or 3 more? If not, maybe others will reply.

Haha nor am I! I don’t know how else to break her broodiness. I unfortunately don’t have any more room or I would let her hatch them.
Thank you anyway tho!

 

[aart]

Are you positive she's broody?
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[TwoShepherds]

I'm relatively new to chickens. I've had my first flock for exactly one year today! I just had to break my first broody last week. I fixed up an old dog crate and followed Aart's advice and my broody was back to normal within 48 hours (thankfully because I hated locking her up). Next spring if she goes broody again I may let her hatch some eggs, but this year I don't have any fertile eggs. Mine was always willing to eat treats, however, and didn't tuck her head that I noticed. I was really pleased with how well the dog crate worked for us. Good luck. I hope your hen goes back to normal soon.

 

[Kazzy112233]

Are you positive she's broody?
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.
View attachment 2137723

thank you so much for your reply. Yes I do think she’s broody. She spends all the day in her nest box. When I take her out of the nest and put her on the ground she does go out and gets some food and water like usual then she slows down and hides in corners of the garden either Standing with her neck in or arching her bottom down and sitting on the ground and nesting for the majority of the day. She doesn’t respond to treats and seems as though she’s in her own world. I’ve bought a proper dog cage that I’m collecting soon.I made a makeshift cage out of mesh.

thank you I’m going to try your method. The only problem I have is that the chickens are not keen on being held at all. They run off and I’m abit scared haha

 

[Kazzy112233]

I'm relatively new to chickens. I've had my first flock for exactly one year today! I just had to break my first broody last week. I fixed up an old dog crate and followed Aart's advice and my broody was back to normal within 48 hours (thankfully because I hated locking her up). Next spring if she goes broody again I may let her hatch some eggs, but this year I don't have any fertile eggs. Mine was always willing to eat treats, however, and didn't tuck her head that I noticed. I was really pleased with how well the dog crate worked for us. Good luck. I hope your hen goes back to normal soon.

Thank you for your reply. It’s tough seeing them in a cage when they’re so free. I can sense she’s sad and not herself because of me quarantining her. I think I made a mistake yesterday by letting her go into her nest beofre getting her out for the quarantining.
Thanks again!

 

[aart]

The only problem I have is that the chickens are not keen on being held at all. They run off and I’m abit scared haha

I handle all birds at night after dark off the roost....easy to 'catch' then.