Broody chicken & bullying

[gabz44]

Hi my Buff Orphington is broody again... I can usually get her to snap out of it by keeping her away from the coop all day but she now just runs back to it. I kept her in a caged in area all day with food and water but put her back by the coop before bed and her buddy (Easter Egger) took one look at her and lunged at her and attacked her as if she was so mad she was gone all day. Is this normal? Also do I need to put her in a cage for a week away from the coop when she is broody ??

 

[chickluvinfreak]

Hi my Buff Orphington is broody again... I can usually get her to snap out of it by keeping her away from the coop all day but she now just runs back to it. I kept her in a caged in area all day with food and water but put her back by the coop before bed and her buddy (Easter Egger) took one look at her and lunged at her and attacked her as if she was so mad she was gone all day. Is this normal? Also do I need to put her in a cage for a week away from the coop when she is broody ??

A week would be a standard time to break a broody. A determined hen won't gI've up after one day. As far as the attack did it last long? Or did she just peck and walk off? Hens with higher dominance will sometimes do this if they see a chicken in a vulnerable position.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Most broody hens can be broke in 3-5 days in a wire bottom crate elevated off the ground a bit to allow good air circulation. Keep them in there for the full time providing food and water. Broody hens often are attacked by other hens because their behavior is disruptive.

 

[gabz44]

A week would be a standard time to break a broody. A determined hen won't gI've up after one day. As far as the attack did it last long? Or did she just peck and walk off? Hens with higher dominance will sometimes do this if they see a chicken in a vulnerable position.

Yea pretty long and was very violent. She was attacking her neck and kept on going at it until I kinda stepped in and said no and she stopped. Poor girl

 

[gabz44]

Most broody hens can be broke in 3-5 days in a wire bottom crate elevated off the ground a bit to allow good air circulation. Keep them in there for the full time providing food and water. Broody hens often are attacked by other hens because their behavior is disruptive.

So my neighbor has a dog crate I can use by that won't work Bc a tray not a wire bottom? I need a rabbit cage or something like that right ?

 

[chickluvinfreak]

So my neighbor has a dog crate I can use by that won't work Bc a tray not a wire bottom? I need a rabbit cage or something like that right ?

Any crate will work. A wire one you can put off the ground just works faster because it cools the body temp. Hens get a mild fever when broody.

 

[aart]

I put a piece of 1x2 cage mesh in the bottom of wire dog crate, if you install mesh carefully enough you can still get tray in if needed.
I often use the tray underneath but outside of crate to make things easier to clean up and keep their feet cleaner.
Broody crate kept in coop, and letting broody out once or twice a day if you have time, will help with any integration issues.


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 and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

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.
Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.