Broody hen... Have done a little research already, but...

[Panhandler80]

Read through this...

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/6-ways-to-break-a-broody-hen/

Some of the remedies aren't really an option. I have 5 boxes and 21 hens. So far, all have been laying in the nesting boxes. I've had zero bullying. They have 24 hour access to 500 foot run. 32 feet of roosting bars. 64 square feet of unobstructed coop. Have gotten up to 19 eggs in one day. I mention this only because it's evident (at least to me) that set up is of adequate size and design. They are happy. So need to go there.

NOW... here's that I know about this one problem bird. She's a brown leghorn and she won't leave a nesting box. For three nights in a row I've placed her on roosting bar (multiple times), for three afternoons I've plopped her out in run with others. A couple mornings now I've plopped her out in run with others.

Suggestions?

My hens lay all throughout the day, some laying before I get up in the morning... others laying almost at dark! As such, I'm hesitant to block the boxes off. The last thing I want to do is encourage the early morning layers to lay somewhere else if I haven't opened the boxes back up. Also a PITA. Oh, and she will also set up in any of the nests and stay there all day (and night). So, it's not as though I can block off just one box.

Removing bedding also not an option... for the same reasons.

I'm thinking maybe cage this one up with food and water. Thoughts? How long should she be in the cage of shame?

I suppose I could try the frozen water bottle thing underneath her, but I have a hard time believing that will do the trick.

She appears to be plenty lively once removed. So I don't think she's sick. I will say that this whole tendency began the night after I free ranged the entire flock at once for the first time. At first I was fearful that she might have ingested something, but by now she should have either gotten better or worse. I think it's just classic broody nature. Somewhat odd considering the time of year, but these are also birds born March 30, so it's their first season of this egg laying thing.

Thanks,

PH80

 

[Panhandler80]

Hmmmm...

Maybe she is feeling a bit puny. Says here that it's pretty rare for a broody brown leghorn. I know there's always an exception to the rule, though...

https://www.thehappychickencoop.com/brown-leghorn-egg-laying-broodiness-and-temperament/

EDIT: I read in the comments where two people had broody brown leghorns, so I guess it's not unheard of.

Also, we also keep a decoy egg in each box. They all lay consistently in the boxes. Maybe these should come out? Although, from what I read about broodiness, the removal of these likely wouldn't have much effect as she'll still want to get in a box and sit on imaginary eggs, or eggs of others.

 

[Lightning Bob]

I wouldn’t worry about it too much, unless it’s stressing the other hens. It always passes, if gradually, and I’d say you’re doing the right thing moving her off the nest once in a while. Keep an eye out for stashed egg piles; I’ve seen that happen. I will usually put a wooden egg under my broodies for their comfort. I think it works, don’t know for sure.

 

[DobieLover]

Have you checked her belly to see if she plucked it?
Is she puffing up like a turkey when you reach in to remove her?
Is she making a ' cluck, cluck, cluck' noise when she's out?
If not, she's likely not broody.
I had a BLH that was a flighty, afraid of her own shadow bird. These birds like to hide out in the nest boxes.

 

[Panhandler80]

Have you checked her belly to see if she plucked it?
Is she puffing up like a turkey when you reach in to remove her?
Is she making a ' cluck, cluck, cluck' noise when she's out?
If not, she's likely not broody.
I had a BLH that was a flighty, afraid of her own shadow bird. These birds like to hide out in the nest boxes.

She is laid entirely flat when I open the egg boxes... her body taking up every last square inch of the box floor. when I move her she makes some guttural sounds that I've never heard any of them make on their own. Best I can tell, she's NOT out. Yesterday afternoon I plopped her in the run and she stayed out for maybe 20 minutes. An hour later (after our dinner) I went back out with a headlamp and she was in a nesting box. When she's on her own (or when she WAS) she'd hold her own with the other birds. One of the first to a treat / food. Not particularly social with people, but not what I would consider flighty. Just kinda standoffish / distant bird.

 

[Panhandler80]

I wouldn’t worry about it too much, unless it’s stressing the other hens. It always passes, if gradually, and I’d say you’re doing the right thing moving her off the nest once in a while. Keep an eye out for stashed egg piles; I’ve seen that happen. I will usually put a wooden egg under my broodies for their comfort. I think it works, don’t know for sure.

I was thinking about removing decoy eggs in order add to DIScomfort. She'll take up a box all day on a wood or ceramic egg.

 

[MrFluffyandGirls]

The cage of shame is the only thing that works for my silkies and they are famous for being broody. I put them it for about 2 days and take them out to see what they do. If they are broke they go about doing their chicken business and if not then they try and go sit on the nest again. You can usually tell right off because mine march right back to the nest like on a mission. If they do this I put them right back in the cage. I've never had to leave one in the cage longer than a week and with most of mine it only takes 2-3 days and their done.
It defiantly won't hurt to try and it will let you know if indeed she's being broody..

 

[NatJ]

Leghorns of any color are well-known for not going broody. But the chickens don't read the descriptions

https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/the-story-of-a-broody-leghorn.1415676/
Here's a recent thread with a broody Leghorn. I think she's already hatched the eggs and is now mothering the chicks.

I would either leave the hen alone (because you say there are plenty of other nestboxes), or put her in a broody-breaker cage (wire cage, no bedding, yes food & water, perch optional) for about 3 days.

Or do you want to hatch eggs?

Moving her to a small cage WITH a nest will either cause her to be broody in that cage, where is safe to hatch eggs, or else it will break the broodiness. Which one seems to depend on the hen.

 

[DobieLover]

She is laid entirely flat when I open the egg boxes... her body taking up every last square inch of the box floor. when I move her she makes some guttural sounds that I've never heard any of them make on their own. Best I can tell, she's NOT out. Yesterday afternoon I plopped her in the run and she stayed out for maybe 20 minutes. An hour later (after our dinner) I went back out with a headlamp and she was in a nesting box. When she's on her own (or when she WAS) she'd hold her own with the other birds. One of the first to a treat / food. Not particularly social with people, but not what I would consider flighty. Just kinda standoffish / distant bird.

She's broody. Break her.
Put her in a small dog crate that is elevated off the floor with a wire bottom. You can put a 2x4 across it for her to roost on. Food and water in the crate. She stays in there for 72 hours. Let her out after 72 hours and observe. If she heads back to the nest box she goes back to the crate for another 24 hours. Keep repeating until she breaks.

 

[Panhandler80]

She's broody. Break her.
Put her in a small dog crate that is elevated off the floor with a wire bottom. You can put a 2x4 across it for her to roost on. Food and water in the crate. She stays in there for 72 hours. Let her out after 72 hours and observe. If she heads back to the nest box she goes back to the crate for another 24 hours. Keep repeating until she breaks.

Yeah. I think this is the route I'm going to go.

Blocking off boxes / removing nesting material isn't an option for my set up. Neither is letting her hatch eggs. It's pretty obvious that moving her 2- 4 times per day isn't working, and that's really all the time I have for such things during the week. Only option I guess is the cage.

Will try and report back. I have a huge wire dog crate, but it's all folded up and in the attic. Ugh. I'll find something. Maybe zip tie hardware cloth to the bottom. So she spends day and night there, huh? Where should I keep the cage? I was thinking in a cool shaded place in the run (100% hardware cloth with apron and wood sandwiched HW seams) with plenty of breeze and an area where others like to hang out during day.