Brooder

[baseballcoach]

So I have had a brooding hen for a couple weeks now and cant break her. She is about 18 months old and I have 7 chickens toal if that helps. I have tried a few techniques that have not helped. I would love some proven suggestions! Thank you very much in advance!

 

[DobieLover]

So I have had a brooding hen for a couple weeks now and cant break her. She is about 18 months old and I have 7 chickens toal if that helps. I have tried a few techniques that have not helped. I would love some proven suggestions! Thank you very much in advance!

What have you tried?
What has worked for me is to put her in an elevated crate with food and water and a piece of 2x4 to perch on and leave her there for a minimum of two nights and a day.
If she is particularly stubborn, she'll get her belly dunked two to three times a day in cool (not cold) water and I'll direct a floor fan across her crate. Keep doing that every day for three days then let her out at night after her third day in the crate and see if she goes to roost or to the nest boxes.

 

[baseballcoach]

What have you tried?
What has worked for me is to put her in an elevated crate with food and water and a piece of 2x4 to perch on and leave her there for a minimum of two nights and a day.
If she is particularly stubborn, she'll get her belly dunked two to three times a day in cool (not cold) water and I'll direct a floor fan across her crate. Keep doing that every day for three days then let her out at night after her third day in the crate and see if she goes to roost or to the nest boxes.

I have tried the dunking technique. Did 3 dunks 3 times in one night. Waterboarding didn't work. Today I put her alone under a basket all day. Once I let her out, she got some food and went right back to the box...

 

[DobieLover]

I have tried the dunking technique. Did 3 dunks 3 times in one night. Waterboarding didn't work. Today I put her alone under a basket all day. Once I let her out, she got some food and went right back to the box...

How long was she confined to the crate?
I don't dunk them then let them go. They get dunked and put right back in the crate in front of the fan. Then taken out again later, dunked and put back in. They are in that crate a solid three days and three nights if they are very stubborn. You cannot let them out until after the 3 full days and nights. Keeping them in a "high traffic zone" also helps their minds snap out of it.

 

[baseballcoach]

How long was she confined to the crate?
I don't dunk them then let them go. They get dunked and put right back in the crate in front of the fan. Then taken out again later, dunked and put back in. They are in that crate a solid three days and three nights if they are very stubborn. You cannot let them out until after the 3 full days and nights. Keeping them in a "high traffic zone" also helps their minds snap out of it.

I only confined her to the crate from 9 am to 7 pm tonight. I guess I need to do this again....

 

[rosemarythyme]

She stays crated 24/7 until broken, period.

Keep her in the cage around the clock for about 2 days. At that time, if she's shows fewer signs of broodiness (puffing up, flattening down and growling, tik tik tik noise) you can let her out to test her. If she runs back to the nest at any point (usually they don't do it immediately, but maybe after 15 minutes, maybe an hour) then she's not yet sufficiently broken and needs to go back to the cage for another 24 hours. Then let her out and test her again. Repeat until she's no longer going to the nest box.

IF the isolation cage is not safe for overnight stay (i.e. sits outside the run) then put her on the roost at night, and retrieve her from the nest box the next morning and put her back in the cage. It may take a little longer this way but better than letting a predator get to her.

 

[aart]

What crate?

Today I put her alone under a basket all day.

Basket is all I saw....have several visual on what this really means.

Need a wire crate.