Broody Cage - again!

[Jane165]

Hello, so I am a newbie to this hen fun. I got 4 hens in January and have just encountered my first broody. I've had her in a cage for 3 days and nights, raised off the ground etc. I kept her in the run during the day and popped her in the garage at night as I wasn't keen on keeping her outside and vulnerable (despite the cage).
I let her out at dusk this morning and at some point she popped into the nest box. I have no idea if she's laying or just being broody again. Am thinking of giving her a few hours and if she doesn't emerge I'm popping her back in the broody cage again.
Has anyone else got any tips for me here - I am so new to this ....
Thank you

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

Normally you keep the hen in the broody breaker 24/7

 

[Jane165]

Sorry, I didn't explain this correctly. She was retained in the cage 24/7, however, I moved it from the run at night and placed her in our garage out of harms way (still elevated though). I did this for 3 days and 3 nights

 

[crazy4ChickensNducks]

Oh, she should be broken, but if she doesn’t come out of that nest box easily, you should put her in for another day

 

[Jane165]

Yes, that's what I figured. Poor broody girl
Thank you

 

[aart]

I have no idea if she's laying or just being broody again. ....

She's probably not in the nest to lay.

... Am thinking of giving her a few hours and if she doesn't emerge I'm popping her back in the broody cage again.

Good plan.

Sounds like you have a good technique going.
How long was she broody before you crated her?
It can take longer if you don't catch them right away.

These are the signs I look for:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

And how I break them:
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.

 

[rosemarythyme]

While they usually break around 3 days, some are more determined and may take longer. I would cage her another day, test her again, and repeat as needed.