Broody Behaviour

[Sammey]

Hi All,

I have five hens that are free range in my backyard. I live in Melbourne with current summer time the temperature varies between 24 & 36 degrees. My sussex buff has changed her behaviour in the last couple of days. She often gets into the coop and rest in the nesting area as if laying. Googling her behaviour I understand that she is broody. She stays in the same position at night instead of roosting. I had to hand pick her from the nest box and leave her outside, but goes back to the same place within an hour. She has stopped laying egg for the last couple of days.

During this situation when I go near her, she makes a different sound and enlarges her body like a balloon. Should I leave her as it is or make her to come out of broodiness.

Is spraying water when she is broody a good idea?
Please let me know of any other suggestions.

Photos
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HeG9GNsOyXp_ziKhgaXpsKZchdRA3K41
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1S00wxXSdd1TZYM9NbNqeLSJ3g6v13fIw

Vidoes
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1YsrjUEsrMUYI042R1CPpSrmXxreMKXD3
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1kmtgdTvVurp_k27377RCAj29K9GwWHih

Thanks
Sammey

 

[SueT]

Sounds like a broody to me. She will not lay again until she comes out of this broodiness and she will probably not come out of it on her own. If you do not want to hatch eggs, you will want to break the broody cycle asap. I learned on BYC forums to use a wire bottom cage, and keep her in it for about 4 days, w food and water. There should be air circulating beneath her to cool her underside. That should do it. Good luck!

 

[sourland]

Sounds as if she is broody. Some suspend in a wire cage - locking her away from her nest site will be necessary to 'break' her broodiness. Don't you need a few more chicks ?

 

[Sammey]

My council doesn't allow rooster to grow. In total I have 5 hens. Today I noticed RIR is following the Sussex and both of them are becoming broody.

 

[Sammey]

I have now let them out and closed the coop. Both the girls were near the coop door for some time and went to rest in a shady area. Will monitor how it goes.

 

[aart]

Wire cage is the best and fastest way to break a broody.
Can be harder in hot temps, some folks add a fan and/or ice packs under the cage.
Cool (not cold) water dunk before sticking her in cage might help too.

My experience went 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 with feed and water

I let her out a couple times a day(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.

Feed and water added after pic was taken.

 

[Sammey]

Thanks aart. Very helpful.

I opened up the coop door yesterday around 8pm. Noticed sussex was in the nest for some time and went to the roosting area with other girls. I will monitor for the next couple of days and see how it goes.

 

[Sammey]

After 4 days she has come out of broodiness. I kept couple of wired basket in the nest box where she was brooding. She stayed there for few hours, went out of the coop few hours and came back. In the night after dark I had pick her up and place her in the roosting bar with other girls. This happened for 4 days. The duration in the nest for brooding reduced and eventually on the 4th day she was in the roosting area herself. I left the wired basket for couple of more days and removed it totally.

Thanks for all your advice.

 

[henaynei]

I WANT my hens to go broody
I want to hatch eggs.
What is a recommended way to attempt to trigger broodiness?