Brooding egg layer silkies even after cool baths n lockouts

[Pauhana]

I have four approximately 1-year-old silkies that were producing eggs but now they keep going through brooding cycles and no legs are being laid even by the non-brooding hands
I have locked them out of the nest and given them cool baths but neither seem to break them up the habit
They were laying up to 15 eggs a week now I go two or three days without a single egg and they aren't laying them in the yard
I have owned them for 5 months and they were already laying eggs at the time but their were roosters in their coop since they were pellets
Please help


Please help

 

[nuthatched]

Unfortunately, that's what silkies do. Have you tried a wire dog crate so air can hit them all over? Roosters don't make hens broody, its a hormone thing.

 

[Pauhana]

Unfortunately, that's what silkies do. Have you tried a wire dog crate so air can hit them all over? Roosters don't make hens broody, its a hormone thing.

Thanks for responding so quickly
It is hot where I live and they have access to the yard from just after sunrise till sunset...
If I didn't remove them from the nest they wouldn't get any exercise or food
But the non-brooding birds aren't laying eggs either

 

[nuthatched]

Thanks for responding so quickly
It is hot where I live and they have access to the yard from just after sunrise till sunset...
If I didn't remove them from the nest they wouldn't get any exercise or food
But the non-brooding birds aren't laying eggs either

it might be the heat that's making them not lay, you can block the nest boxes if that's the case.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Have you tried a breaker cage? Locking them out of nests doesn't work as well unless you have all day to babysit them, as hens that need to lay still need access to the boxes, and the broodies need to be kept out of them entirely.

 

[Pauhana]

Have you tried a breaker cage? Locking them out of nests doesn't work as well unless you have all day to babysit them, as hens that need to lay still need access to the boxes, and the broodies need to be kept out of them entirely.

Breaker cage? I heard of putting them in jail and separating them from the rest...
I'll research a breaker cage thank you

 

[aart]

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(1x2) on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

After 48 hours I let her out of crate very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate for another 48 hours.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor, gives the feet a break from the wire floor and encourages roosting.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Breaker cage? I heard of putting them in jail and separating them from the rest...
I'll research a breaker cage thank you

Same thing. Aart posted a great example above.