broody for a month, questions, please help

[ebonykawai]

I have 2 hens that have been broody for going on a month now. They aren't sitting on eggs, I dunk them in cold water a couple times a day and put them in an outside chicken jail, so they stay away from the nests. Why are they going past 21 days?? Has anyone experienced this? Thanks!

 

[ebonykawai]

Another question because I'm thinking of getting a wire cage. Does the bottom need to be wire too, or just solid metal? I can't find anything with an actual wire bottom. And how do you keep the food and water from spilling? I tried a dog crate a couple months ago for my other broody and the water and food got all over the place. Help??

 

[onthespot]

You can put a wire bottom on a wire dog crate. make it so they are "floating in the air" and completely NOT cuddly surroundings and they should quit. If all else fails get some chicks and sneak under them some evening. In the morning or the afternoon they should be acting like proud mamas, hopefully. I had read somewhere on here that if a hen has been broody more than ten days you can sneak chicks under them and have the same result as if she hatched them herself. If you don't want to raise the chicks, sell them after the broody breaks.

 

[ebonykawai]

How do you manage the food and water?

 

[rancher hicks]

What's with the dunking in cold water? I've never heard of that.

 

[onthespot]

I feed them in plastic feeders with a pie pan under it to catch stuff they toss out. I water them in plastic waterers too, or a small ice cream bucket if it is a big chicken or more than one big chicken. Putting a rooster in there to hassle them will hurry them up off of being broody too.

 

[ebonykawai]

Quote:
Really? I got that from these forums. It seems to work. My one broody is done!

One more to go...

 

[ebonykawai]

Quote:
I re-homed my roo months ago. Too much trouble, lol.