Broody Chicken help!

[chickengirl778]

Hello all!
I have a broody Ameraucana who REFUSES to leave the nest whatsoever.
I am leaving on a trip in a week and I can't have her broody while we're gone because she hardly eats AT ALL and I am very worried about that!
It is also hot so she could overheat and I need to break her right away!
Any pro tips?
Thanks!

 

[Ducklover2]

put her in a tub of cold water.

 

[chickengirl778]

Won't that make it hard for her to cool down?

 

[Ducklover2]

if you put her in a tub of water it breaks the broodyness.

 

[MROO]

Not ice water - just cold. You want to bring her temperature down. Think of it like a cold washcloth on your head when you've got a fever ... or a dip in a cold pool water. Just watch her afterwards until she's dry. She'll sure be watching YOU, you can bet!

 

[chickengirl778]

Thanks guys!
She's pretty stubborn but I will try out your ideas!

 

[chickens really]

Hello...All a dip in cool water does is wet the Hen..
Actually a wire bottom cage elevated off the ground with good air flow wil cool her belly enough in a few days to break her.

 

[Pork Pie]

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/181289/how-to-break-a-broody-hen

 

[aart]

Wire crate seems to be the most effective.

If it's really hot, wetting her belly in cool(not cold) water can help before you put her in the wire crate. Some folks even employ fans blowing under the crate to help with cooling.

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 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.