Breaking a stubborn broody

[chipens]

I have a hen that I've tried breaking 3/4 times now. I have a cage with wire bottom etc put her in for few days to a week then let her back with others, shes ok for couple day then goes back to sitting!
Any ideas?? Leave her longer in cage? I just feel bad leaving her in there so long she is a bantam cross around 8 months.

 

[DesertBird]

I tend to "bribe" my stubborn ones - pull them out for free ranging with the others (or just put them in the run; whatever you have) and close the nesting boxes up after everyone else is done laying so they can't get back into them then drop some mealworms, scratch, veggies, or whatever else I have out to get her up and distracted. If they fuss, they fuss. lol

 

[kokosmom2]

I had to leave one of mine in a crate for 7 days. Finally broke her of it.

 

[chipens]

I tend to "bribe" my stubborn ones - pull them out for free ranging with the others (or just put them in the run; whatever you have) and close the nesting boxes up after everyone else is done laying so they can't get back into them then drop some mealworms, scratch, veggies, or whatever else I have out to get her up and distracted. If they fuss, they fuss. lol

Good idea, my chooks lay all hours of the day so cant block nests (tried it before building broody crate) but can try letting her out for abit supervised

 

[Perris]

get some hatching eggs and let her do what's coming naturally to her? If you don't want the chicks you could sell or give them away afterwards.

 

[chipens]

get some hatching eggs and let her do what's coming naturally to her? If you don't want the chicks you could sell or give them away afterwards.

Was thinking that but already have 3 hens sitting on Eggs! running out of places to put them. I've had broody hens one after another, this one just won't quit.

 

[Perris]

now I feel even more sorry for her! she just wants to be like the others!
have you considered the hatchery business?

 

[Shadrach]

I have a hen that I've tried breaking 3/4 times now. I have a cage with wire bottom etc put her in for few days to a week then let her back with others, shes ok for couple day then goes back to sitting!
Any ideas?? Leave her longer in cage? I just feel bad leaving her in there so long she is a bantam cross around 8 months.

There are often small but vital bits of information that many people who post on discouraging a broody hen assume people know.
I tried to help someone local discourage a broody hen and given he had a dog crate I advised the dog crate method. He put the dog crate in the coop, on the floor and worse still, in sight of the nesting box where other hens came and went to lay eggs. You could see the broody hen in the dog crate looking at the eggs the other hens laid and you just knew she was thinking as soon as I get out of this ******* cage I’m going to sit on those eggs!
The wire cage needs to be out of sight of the coop ideally.
It needs to be off the ground. It’s the free passage of air under the broody hen that cools her breast down; no cooling, no stop brooding.
Put the cage on blocks so air can move under the cage.
As long as the hen can find eggs when she comes out of the cage she’s more likely to try and sit on them. Remove all eggs when you let the broody hen out.

I don’t use a wire crate. I think they are unnecessary most of the time.
Usually I’ve found with free ranging hens, once you take the eggs away they may sit for the rest of the day n the straw, or whatever, and at night I pick them up and put them on the perch with the others. It’s rare, but occasionally I get one come back the next day and try to sit again. I strip the egg box out so there is nothing in it. This has worked 90% of the time.

One other method I’ve not seen mentioned is to make a temporary egg box, put the broody hens eggs in it and let her sit. I let them sit for up to 4 days. This ensures that their egg laying controller switches off so they don’t just sit and lay more eggs. After 4 days I take the eggs away and remove the temporary egg box. This seems to work.

When all else fails I bring the broody hen into the house and put her in one of those kiddy cages used for toddlers. This needs to go on a tiled, or concrete floor; they’re cool if the hen sits.
At night I put the hen back on her perch in the coop and the next morning I collect her and put her back in the toddlers cage. The longest I’ve had to do this for is three days.

 

[aart]

I've found the raised wire crate to work just fine right in the coop, most the time.
Had a serial broody this summer, after she hatched in March weaned at 4 weeks, laid few eggs then back at it..... had to break her 7 times before finally giving her away.
Some of those times were out in run or in yard in shade due to high heat index.

I do think that being out of the coop can help,

she was thinking as soon as I get out of this ******* cage I’m going to sit on those eggs!

but I like to leave them in sight of the flock.

I let them out an hour before roosting time and sometimes block nests until after dark,
if they go back to nest instead of roost(with nests open) they go back in crate for another day.


My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop 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.

 

[chipens]

She is very strange, yesterday I gave up, put her with others (they were out freeranging) thought she might stay with them. Nope back on the nest. This morning shes out with with others (in pen) doing normal chicken things. . . Will check later if she's sitting again