BO broody

[RNPAULIE69]

My BO sat in the nest box most of yesterday. Kicked her out and she spent some time foraging. Today back in the box and we kicked her out again and I dipped her belly in my dogs pool to "cool" her off. I blocked off the nest boxes for the night around 7 and the poor thing ran around clucking and puffing out for about half an hour trying to find a way to. She finally settled on the roost with her two friends so I am thinking that's a good sign ?

 

[azygous]

No, do not be fooled. She will maintain her body heat by roosting on the perch and her hormones will still be in full bloom come morning.

The principle of breaking a broody is to cool the body temp down over several days (a dunking won't cut it) and that will slowly tamp down the hormones. To accomplish this, you must deprive the broody of any opportunity to hunker down onto a solid surface to reflect her own body heat. Only a broody cage with an open mesh bottom without any nesting material will do this.

Usually, it takes about three days for the hormones to clear out enough where she won't go racing off the sit in the nearest nest. She needs to be in the cage day and night until then. If she still makes for a nest, then she needs more time in the cage.

 

[aart]

No, do not be fooled.

this cracked me up!!

You can hope @RNPAULIE69 but she's probably not done.
Dipping the belly might be good, if it's really hot out, before you put her in the crate.

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, 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.

Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[RNPAULIE69]

My coop is not big enough for put a dog crate but I guess I could set one up in the secure part of the pen. Came home from work to find her in the nest box..kicked her out again and she has been foraging but fluffing up every few minutes making horrible noises lol( she is usually very quiet)

 

[RNPAULIE69]

Cannot figure out how to upload a video..saying either too large or does not have an extension??? Help !

 

[aart]

Cannot figure out how to upload a video..saying either too large or does not have an extension??? Help !

Have to upload to youtube or vimeo or facebook then link here.

 

[azygous]

I place my broody in her cage in the middle of the run where life is noisy and hectic. That "harshes" a broody mood more than anything. My broody sleeps in the cage in the run at night with a sheet draped over the top of the cage to simulate cover and security.

 

[RNPAULIE69]

 

[RNPAULIE69]

Is this normal? She sounds so angry!! She has not made one attempt to go back to nest all afternoon

 

[azygous]

Oh, yes. It's very normal and typical. A lot of folks draw a comparison to PMS. Being broody involves an overwhelming of hormones and it does make a girl rather cranky.