Breaking broody hen /chicken attacking hen

[aldarita]

Thanks Taila and aart for your input. I guess having broodys in very hot summers as well as in extremely cold winters have to be dealt with special handling. I let my alpha hen hatched some eggs last May when it wasn't very hot yet. I placed a dog cage inside the run (the coop is not big enough) with her nest inside. I let her out every morning for her constitutional, dust bath and stretching and waited until she was ready to get back to the nest.

I can still use the same set up to break the broodys this year. I will have to raise the cage like aart did by putting 4x4s under it and a hardware cloth on the bottom.
The run is under a tree with a roof and it is very shady, however temps can easily get to 106F and that is what concerns me. Maybe a fan directed to the cage would help, it will not cool but will move the hot air around. Any ideas added to this plan will be very much appreciated

 

[Chickenkiddies]

Update*** I put up a small run today and put her in there while the other four were out grazing. I gave them all treats together and no one really seemed bothered so I brought her out and put her down with the rest of the flock. They went about their business and I thought “thank god this is all over” ha! Not so fast. One of the other girls, about ten minutes later, just turned on her and then two more chimed in. I didn’t want to separate her again because I do realize they need to figure out their pecking order. I intervened so they’d stop attacking her and they went about their business again. This happened about 4 more times throughout the day (that I witnessed) I put them all in the coop tonight and just went to check on them. They won’t let her on the roosting bar (it’s a VERY small coop and they decided to roost in the roof rafters instead of the roosting bars ) she’s sitting in the nesting box but definitely isn’t acting broody anymore. I feel really bad for her! What would you all do at this point? Thanks! (I attached a pic of the coop for size reference. The chicks are much larger now)

 

[Chickenkiddies]

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

The smaller the set up the more you will see behavioral problems. A small territory will cause more fighting as it causes birds to try to drive out weaker members by attacking them in order to have more resources. It's all instinct.

I would keep up what you are doing, but be aware it may or may not work. Enlarging their space would help too.

Keep a close eye on them for signs of pecking, and fighting. I have had birds pecked to death under confinement, so it is a serious matter.

 

[Teila]

Agreed that it is a serious matter and I am not trying to make light of it ...

But, I have found that a water pistol fired across the bow of a chicken meaning to do harm helps her to change her mind

I have used this method when integrating on free range.