breaking a hens brood stress-free

[chimken_]

hello i was out on a vacation for a week and when i came back i saw that one of my hens was broody and it seems shes been broody the entire week! i know how to break a hens brood but i want advice on the most stress-free way to do it ( even if it takes long) because the hen that is broody is my half indoor/ half outdoors chicken and she gets stressed easily (which is why she gets to stay indoors) and the stress leads to pretty bad behavioural problems shes very stressed and isn't eating as much she could also be plucking her feathers but i didn't get to check yet (i just arrived this morning) and honestly i'm afraid shes gonna hurt her self i and don't want to cause her any more stress i was planning on picking her up and letting her play outside and putting a bunch of food and water but when i tried that she acting really crazy so for now i gave her ice cubes (covered) that look like eggs because i'm honestly worried that removing her from the nest will cause so much stress that i might end up hurting her because i've seen her this stressed before and it went pretty bad and lasted for a while i had to work with her for a month to get her back to normal

 

[BigBlueHen53]

YOu say you know how to break a broody, how do you normally do that?

 

[chimken_]

YOu say you know how to break a broody, how do you normally do that?

i didnt yet i meant i know the advice people talk about like putting ice under her (covered in a towel) taking her out of the nest taking the eggs out broody jail cold water dunks and stuff but my others haven't laid yet i want to know which is the best one for her, before this i noticed she was trying to become broody by sleeping on the eggs at night i would simply turn on the ac and she would just get off or i would show her snacks and she would get off but since i wasn't there she went full broody

 

[BigBlueHen53]

You have ac in your coop?

So now she is sitting on the nest day and night, flattened out like a pancake, and if you take her off the nest she walks around clucking like a ticking time bomb and just wants to get back on the nest as fast as she can?

 

[BigBlueHen53]

So broody jail is like a wire dog crate with a wire bottom, set on blocks so it's open to the air underneath, with no bedding of any kind. There should be nothing in it but her food, water, a little bowl of grit and a log or board for a roost. Right? You need to leave her in there day and night for three whole days. Then when you let her out, if she goes straight back to the nest, she's not broke yet so you put her back in for three more days. You can give her a cool bath to start with, just to cool her belly and breast and between her legs if the weather is warm so she can't chill. Have you done this?

 

[NatJ]

So broody jail is like a wire dog crate with a wire bottom, set on blocks so it's open to the air underneath, with no bedding of any kind. There should be nothing in it but her food, water, a little bowl of grit and a log or board for a roost. Right? You need to leave her in there day and night for three whole days. Then when you let her out, if she goes straight back to the nest, she's not broke yet so you put her back in for three more days.

^I agree, that is probably the least stressful way to break the broodiness.
It should get the job done in the shortest number of days, and physically I would expect it to be less stressful than things like cool baths (being wet is not usually good for chickens!)

Here is an article about that same idea, with pictures:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

i was planning on picking her up and letting her play outside and putting a bunch of food and water

Walking around and eating are fine, as long as she is not sitting on a nest. So I think you can take her out of the crate to do that as many times each day as you want. Just put her back in the wire crate at night and any time you are not watching her.

but when i tried that she acting really crazy

Yes, broodies are like that. She should go back to normal once she quits being broody, which is a good reason to break her as quickly as possible.

before this i noticed she was trying to become broody by sleeping on the eggs at night i would simply turn on the ac and she would just get off or i would show her snacks and she would get off but since i wasn't there she went full broody

Those sound like very good ideas when you are home and she is just thinking about becoming broody. AC is probably a good idea then and now, but now that she is thoroughly broody you probably will need the wire crate method to get her broken in a timely fashion. Getting it done quickly will probably mean less total stress, as compared with any method that takes more time.

 

[Mrs. K]

Or just give her an egg?

 

[Loving my girls]

Omg what I would give to have air con in my pouallier. I mentioned it to hubby and he nearly fell off his chair ! (One point for me though coz I’ve been trying to get it installed for years and hubby is an installer !) But I guess in Bahrain it’s necessary.
Back to broodies -
I have a dog cage (large) positioned on four upside down plant pots so it’s not touching the floor. I have two bowls that hook onto the side of the cage for food and water.
The broody girl goes in there at the first sign.
If I manage to catch it early she can be let out in 3 days.
However if she heads back to the nesting box she’s back in the slammer for another 3 days.
And so it continues.
I believe the trick is to make sure air circulates around her and she can’t nest. When it was over 40c here I put her on our terrace which stays in the shade with a fan pointed near her. Not on her but just trying to get the air moving.
It does look awfully cruel but it’s kinder than leaving her hot and confused, not eating and drinking and so very unhappy.
Hugz

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Omg what I would give to have air con in my pouallier. I mentioned it to hubby and he nearly fell off his chair ! (One point for me though coz I’ve been trying to get it installed for years and hubby is an installer !) But I guess in Bahrain it’s necessary.
Back to broodies -
I have a dog cage (large) positioned on four upside down plant pots so it’s not touching the floor. I have two bowls that hook onto the side of the cage for food and water.
The broody girl goes in there at the first sign.
If I manage to catch it early she can be let out in 3 days.
However if she heads back to the nesting box she’s back in the slammer for another 3 days.
And so it continues.
I believe the trick is to make sure air circulates around her and she can’t nest. When it was over 40c here I put her on our terrace which stays in the shade with a fan pointed near her. Not on her but just trying to get the air moving.
It does look awfully cruel but it’s kinder than leaving her hot and confused, not eating and drinking and so very unhappy.
Hugz

Agreed, and they can lose weight and condition. Plus they're not just out of production for the three weeks it takes to hatch eggs, but also as many as six weeks after until they wean the chicks. For us it was nine weeks. Then our four broodies went into molt, followed by the change in weather as fall moved into winter. Long time for those hens to be out of production.

 

[chimken_]

So broody jail is like a wire dog crate with a wire bottom, set on blocks so it's open to the air underneath, with no bedding of any kind. There should be nothing in it but her food, water, a little bowl of grit and a log or board for a roost. Right? You need to leave her in there day and night for three whole days. Then when you let her out, if she goes straight back to the nest, she's not broke yet so you put her back in for three more days. You can give her a cool bath to start with, just to cool her belly and breast and between her legs if the weather is warm so she can't chill. Have you done this?

I just did the broody jail thing but I think I messed it up a bit by putting cardboard on the floor of the cage whoops lol I read too quickly I’m gonna let her settle down a bit then fix it
thanks!