Broody Hen...I think

[RebelChief]

I noticed yesterday (for the first time) on of my hens spend most of the day on the nest. I think she did so the day before as well. This morning she's on the same nest so I suspect she may have been there all night. I don't have a rooster and no plans to have additions at this time so broody is not something I need. I've read that just leaving her to run her course is ok and I've read it can be bad for her. As usual there are always so many differing opinions.

I have a wire dog crate I can put her in. Is there a better time of day to do so? Can I leave her in the run in the crate? How many times a day do I let her out? Do I keep food in there or have her eat when I let her out? Is there a better time of day to let her out? I'll have to figure out how to get water in there for her. Think I have a nipple....if not I can run to TS and get one.

Any helpful hints are much appreciated.

 

[igorsMistress]

As I understand it she should stay in the crate with food and water but no bedding. Some girls take longer to break than others but most try 24 hours at first. You can put some paper towels down for poop messes to make cleaning easier.

 

[RebelChief]

As I understand it she should stay in the crate with food and water but no bedding. Some girls take longer to break than others but most try 24 hours at first. You can put some paper towels down for poop messes to make cleaning easier.

Plan to leave her in the run so if she poops I can just rake it up (my run is sand).

 

[Shadrach]

The important thing is to get cool air circulating underneath her. This means if you do go the wire cage route which does work, then the cage needs to be off the floor by as much as is practicable.
A bare wire floor is needed. Some people put in a perch.
I have found, although I don't use the wire cage method, that keeping the broody out of sight of her nest is helpful.

 

[RebelChief]

The important thing is to get cool air circulating underneath her. This means if you do go the wire cage route which does work, then the cage needs to be off the floor by as much as is practicable.
A bare wire floor is needed. Some people put in a perch.
I have found, although I don't use the wire cage method, that keeping the broody out of sight of her nest is helpful.

I would have to build a whole sep coop which eventually I do need to do for sickies or anything but for now I will have to try the wire method. Probably put some ice in a bucket under her. It's south Texas so hard to get too cool here.

 

[aart]

My go-to signs of a broody birds:
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.


I say put them in the cage and get it over with.<nods>

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.
My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run 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.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.