Broody hen gone broodier in broody jail! Oy.

[Daniellebell1]

Hello chickenfriends,
I have a small flock of 4 sweet ladies. They're all just shy of 18 months old. One is a buff rock, Zippy, who has gone broody a couple of times in the past. I've been able to break her pretty quickly by keeping her in the coop, which worked out just fine because my hens preferred a nesting spot between two fence posts in my back yard. However, since that time, I had to replace a bunch of rotting boards in the fence, which effectively eliminated their access to the nesting spot. So they switched to laying in the coop, behind the actual nesting box I'd made for them (eyeroll.) But now Zippy has gone broody again. So I made a new broody jail out of a dog kennel with layer feed, water, and pine chips on the bottom. Aaaaand now, about 12 hours later, she's even broodier, if that's possible? Like, before she would puff up and fuss, but now she puffs up and hisses and starts aggressively pecking my hand when I change her water.
So here's my question. Should I take out the pine shavings so that it's not comfortable for her to make a nest? I don't want to torture her!
Advice is welcome.

 

[sourland]

It's not torture - make her uncomfortable. If possible a raised wire flooring is appropriate. Good luck. Or you could always give her some fertile eggs or foster chicks to her.

 

[rayrose]

It should be a dog crate with only a wire floor, not a kennel and should be raised several inches off the ground. The air needs to circulate beneath her, in order to cool down her and her hormones.

 

[MLCfromTennessee]

I have a broody hen. She will leave the nesting box to get food, water and stretch her legs. Other than inconveniencing the other hens that prefer that particular box, I don't see any point to break her broodiness.

 

[SueT]

Yes take out the shavings. It helps to use a wire bottom cage so air can circulate under her. For mine it takes at least 2 days and 2 nights, sometimes 3, and they snap out of it. (I have the cage in our basement, where it’s much cooler than outdoors.
As you can see, I do give them something to roost on, it’s a half branch. Maybe a piece of 2X4 would work too.

 

[DobieLover]

But now Zippy has gone broody again. So I made a new broody jail out of a dog kennel with layer feed, water, and pine chips on the bottom. Aaaaand now, about 12 hours later, she's even broodier, if that's possible?

That is not the correct type of crate.
It needs to be open wire with NO BEDDING. Both of these things are important.
I also elevate the crate.
You might also want to give her a few COOL (not cold) water dunks throughout the day, especially if it's hot where you are, and put her back in the crate. If you have a floor fan, aim that at her too.
I would leave her in the crate for two nights and three days. Let her out about an hour before roost time on the third day.
If she goes to roost with the rest of the flock, great. If she heads back to the nest box you need to lock her back up and try again the following night.

 

[Viergacht]

I use puppy pads in the crate to absorb some of the moisture so my hen isn't sitting in her own waste. They're not comfortable to nest on - it's worked for my three that always seem to get broody.

 

[Painted Calls]

The point of broody jail is to lower their body temps. If the floor is solid in any way, it's not going to lower their temperature.

The floor needs to be wire and have NOTHING on it. Think "rabbit hutch". I use a dog crate with hardware cloth on the floor. I raise mine up about 8-12 inches.

Time spent in the jail depends on the breed, the individual bird, and how long she's been allowed to sit prior to jail. Mine usually take at least a week to break. Most longer. And that's with putting them in as soon as I notice broody behavior.

 

[Aunt Angus]

I agree with all of what's been said 100%.

I'll add that some broodies seem to handle it better than others. My Silkies do fine. They eat and drink and dust bathe. They have food in their crops and don't lose weight. I've had others who pluck themselves bald and practically starve themselves. Those I break right away.

And everything that I've read about Silkies and their constant broodiness is true. They are broody more often than they're not. I stopped trying to break them.

 

[Daniellebell1]

Thank you all!! I didn't realize about the cooling off part--I thought the point was just to restrict her access to the nesting spot. Thanks for clearing that up.
@sourland , I would love to give her some chicks to foster, especially since it seems like she really wants to be a mama hen. But I'm not quiiiite ready to give in to the chicken-math yet. Once I finish nursing school, I'll be able to better support my chicken habit
@MLCfromTennessee and @Aunt Angus , unfortunately, she wasn't leaving the nesting spot to dust bathe, drink, or eat. Instead she would eat the eggs she was sitting on. Messy, inconvenient, and potentially contagious! She also got sore, red skin on her breast...I assume it was irritation from when she was trying to clean off the raw egg? So not breaking her just isn't a good option for now.
@DobieLover , ahhh yes. Ok that makes sense. We're in New Orleans, so it's murderously hot and humid.
@Overo Mare , thank you for the picture--that's a helpful visual! I had seen folks post other similar setups, and I literally just thought "Oh cool, they happen to have a wire crate. I happen to have a travel kennel, so that's probably just fine."
@Viergacht, do you find that using a puppy pad gives the desired cooling effect? Or does it just keep her out of the nest box?

Y'all. You are so helpful. I appreciate your wisdom and experience! And Zippy doesn't know it yet, but she does too. I'll revisit the construction of my broody jail and let you know how it turns out.
Warmly,
Danielle