Brooding Pekin Bantum

[ButtonsBeesWax]

Hello,

Sooo... I have 4 Pekin Bantams, 1 of which is brooding hard and I can't seem to break it. I have tried lowering her in to room temp water (to try and bring down her temp), segregating her from the flock, re-sitting her at night (put on purch, she just walks off blindly and goes back to the box), removing all eggs, dummy eggs, plain old waiting.... It feels like it has been going on for months now.. I do make a point of pulling her out morning and night so that she eats and drinks. Just wondering if anyone has some other tricks?
I'm concerned for how long it's been going on as she is considerable lighter but she also gets very mean towards my other girls.. they'll try to go into the coup to lay and she'll chase the others out and sometimes jump on them and peck there heads until blood is drawn.. This will occur if I pull her out to eat as well..
Can anyone help me? Please.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Generally you need to pen them in a wire bottom crate slightly elevated off the ground. I have also just penned them away from their chosen nest site. You need to be consistent, and leave them penned. The longer they are broody the longer it takes to break them.

Generally 3-5 days if you catch them right away. Some can take a week. Keep them penned, provide feed and water, and don't release until 3-5 days. If they return to the nest than back to the crate or pen.

The longer they are broody them more they get depleted, and the longer it takes so it's best to break them ASAP.

 

[aart]

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
A bit late for that so it may take longer than described below.

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 or run 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.