broody chicken

[luzmiila]

Hi I have a hen 1 year 3 months and a week ago she began to stay in the nest after laying an egg so we drew her and hid the egg nest. But today dawned differently: super aggressive, with ruffled feathers (like a balloon) and desperately seeking the nest.
We move her away from the nest and leave it there.
I've noticed that does not eat much and takes little water, so it makes little poop . Is this normal?
How long it will take to get back to normal?
I also dunked her (just her vent, and belly with her head out of the water)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She is broody, dunking in water doesn't help, you need to put her in a wire bottom crate for 3-7 days to break her from it, cooling off her undercarriage will do the trick, keep her in it with food and water until she stops clucking and acting broody.

 

[luzmiila]

we have a cage in the courtyard, but has the grass floor. Should I cover it with something?. I feel bad leaving locked all day and watch as desperate to leave.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

You can leave her alone if you wish, she will be broody for up to two months before giving up or let her hatch eggs.

 

[luzmiila]

2 months !!!!???? and what do you mean '' alone '' ?

 

[Leisure105]

I have an older hen that goes broody every year sometimes in february(very bad timing in Alberta). She takes to sitting on the others freshly laid eggs and really fluffs up and cackles when I touch her. I simply laugh and remove her from the nest and place her in the other side of the coop for a few days. It seems that if she can't get back to the original nesting boxes that she will eventually snap out of it. I've heard the cold undercarriage trick with some even suggesting ice cubes in the nesting box of choice. Never had to try though as a few days in a new spot by herself has done the trick. I've noticed that the longer they are broody for the longer it takes for them to quit. You'll notice that clucking sound go away when she quits being broody, at least that's my experience. In fact she was thinking about being broody yesterday so I chucked her out of the nest and I'll have to vigilant about collecting eggs(no eggs to sit on)

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I mean if you do nothing with her she will remain broody, trying to hatch nothing, it's a hormonal state, if you put her somewhere she can't sit tight and warm up you will break her of the broodiness, it will take a few days, otherwise she will sit until she loses enough condition that she becomes unbroody, usually 1-2 months. So it's kinder to put her somewhere uncomfortable for a couple of days than to leave her broody.

 

[luzmiila]

I mean if you do nothing with her she will remain broody, trying to hatch nothing, it's a hormonal state, if you put her somewhere she can't sit tight and warm up you will break her of the broodiness, it will take a few days, otherwise she will sit until she loses enough condition that she becomes unbroody, usually 1-2 months. So it's kinder to put her somewhere uncomfortable for a couple of days than to leave her broody.

Oh ok.
Now is 3 am here ( chile). Tomorrow I will try to put a wire bottom crate. At least she is not sleeping on the grass, she is sleeping on her rack. Tomorrow I will try to put the cage in the ceramics and keep it moist or put some kind of wire in the bottom.

Thank you

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She doesn't have to be moist, just cooler, I have used a wire bottom, and I have put them directly on concrete, and I have just moved them somewhere unfamiliar to them, all have worked, you just don't want her sitting down tight and heating herself up.

 

[appps]

people tend to overthink this whole broody breaking thing. It really doesn't have to be that complicated. There is one golden rule and as long as you follow that she will give up in normally about 3 days. I have once had a super determined silkie which took a week.

Here is he golden rule - keep them off the nest 24 hours a day. See not that hard ;-).

If you let her back at night it won't work
If you let her back on and off during the day and just keep taking her off it won't work.
No access at all 24 hours a day for at least 3 days or till she stops running back to the nest when you let her out.

The rest really doesn't matter that much, here is where my last broody spent her time out

No dunking, no cold air and no tiny cages. Just a few tomato stakes and some plastic wire at the end of their run. Worked just the same. She spent her days in there and about 4pm we locked the nest box and let her back in with everybody else to roost for the night.