Broody -- again --- :-(

[verity]

I have a BLRW hen who is a year old.
She is constantly broody -- and I do mean constantly --
not sitting on any eggs, just SITTING!

Husband thinks she's just 'lazy' and I can relate to the not- wanting- to- get- out- of- bed feeling but this is going too far!

We have put her in the wire-bottomed cage with food and water as recommended --
We have done this FOUR times!

Each time she is fine for a few days and then hops back to a nest to hunker down ---

I have tried ignoring her but I worry about how she's getting enough to eat -- her crop feels full and she looks fine -- except for the pink rather than red comb ---


This time she's been on that danged nest for 26 days --

I am getting seriously annoyed with 'Miss Broody-Britches' ---

I have re-read the 'How to Break a Broody' posts -- I'm not clear on how to do the water-bucket treatment --

Any suggestions???

 

[TexasVet]

Why don't you just give her some eggs to hatch? She only needs a few, and as long as she has chicks around (several months), she won't go broody again.

Or, see if you can find someone who will swap a non-setter for your broody.

Kathy, Bellville TX
www.CountryChickens.com
www.PivotalForce.com

 

[Quack Shack]

Just went through that scenario myself. I used golf balls, moved her favorite nesting box and dragged her off the nest a few times a day because she wasn't taking care of herself. I know of the water treatment but didn't want her to never go broody again so it wasn't an option for me. After about 2 months of this I decide to purchase some eggs. Complete fail on all 18, sigh, even though she did her job faithfully. I broke down last week and bought some little cochins at an auction. I waited until dusk, placed them in the box next to her (removed the last of the failed eggs while she was feeding) and the whole coop became very quiet including the little chicks. Next AM she rousted them all out of the coop with much pecking and wing flapping. It was like a switch went off. She doesn't mother them but she lets them sleep near her at night, pecks on any roos giving them trouble and turned back into my loving, egg laying girl again. I wish you luck! Hormones, go figure.

 

[verity]

Thanks for the advice but we don't want any babies -- I was finally able to re-home my two little roosters andI am very happy with my lit flock of 6 girls --

When this hen is laying, the eggs are great --

Quack Shack -- I live near you -- do you want this one?????!!!!!
I don't know what kind of mama she'd be but she has the hormones to want to take on the job --

'Lacy' has a good life here and I guess she'll just be 'Broody-Britches' -- there's one in every crowd -- sigh.
For a 'broody' she has a kind attitude -- lets me pick her up to go to the pen and to reach under her to be sure there are no eggs --

Has anyone just left a 'broody-britches' on a nest?
Do they ever give up?

 

[Sugar Sand Farm]

My giant cochin hen Doodle goes broody all the time. She has a 7 week old chick in the coop and I found her sitting again. So what I did was several times a day I would go remove her from her nest. I would put her on the other side of the coop in an empty nest. She would immediately get off and go drink and eat. I did this for three or four days and she got the message. I don't want naymore chicks right now either so when I go collect eggs. I remove any and all broodies in this manner. (Doodle is very lovable when broody so she doesn't peck me)

 

[ochoco]

could someone tell me about the water bucket treatment? I don't plan to have more chicks, and I don't care if she NEVER goes broody again!! What a pain. My other hens aren't laying at all either................

 

[Quack Shack]

We're neighbors? Cool! I don't have any Wyndottes so sure. Question is, has she been exposed to dogs, cats and kids? Terriers would be on the other side of the fence. Just asking because I had my pup spook a drake and he took flight the very first day. Never heard from again, sigh. PM your location and we can work out a pickup.

 

[stuckinthecity]

I have been PRAYING for a broody hen and people complain about theirs,

LOL

just give her like 3 eggs and then that wont be too many babies to handle.

 

[Chicken Girl]

Quote:
My cochin hatched out chicks in March. Has been laying for a week or 2 and now is broody agen! I am geting chicks tommorow so i dont need babys. But i think they can get broody faster then 7 months?

Chicken Girl

 

[Quack Shack]

The horse barn lady friend of mine comes from down-home country stock. Her mother-in-law would take broody hens and dunk them head first, vigorously, into a bucket of cold water several times to 'cure' them because she sold eggs and that was her money and the hen was holding out. (Can't get past a scene in Harlem Nights when the Madam is talking to her girls but I digress!) I truly think it's a alpha domination move to show the chicken who is boss. That is the water method from this area.