Broody hen keeps laying!

[aart]

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(1x2) on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

After 48 hours I let her out of crate very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate for another 48 hours.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken, gives the feet a break from the wire floor and encourages roosting.

 

[KoopinItReal]

Make sure she has enough shade and bring the crate in every night as a lot of predators would be able to get at her.

Yes, losing weight is one of the reasons it is important to break the broodiness in case chicks are not on the wish list. Some determined broodies might even starve themselves to death if not properly taken care of.

That is exactly what I am worried about. I held her last night & can feel her breast bone. Was startled by how sharp it feels & nothing in her crop.
I don’t need to worry about predators if I leave her in the crate in the run. I built predator-proof runs. I don’t close the door from the coop into the run at night bc I don’t need to. I did a LOT of research before building my runs. Thank you for your concern tho & for your responses.

 

[KoopinItReal]

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(1x2) on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

After 48 hours I let her out of crate very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate for another 48 hours.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken, gives the feet a break from the wire floor and encourages roosting.

View attachment 2673762

Perfect! Thanks! I was trying to work out the crate/ poop logistics in my head Lol. This is very helpful.

 

[LaFleche]

You can add some daily scrambled eggs, sunflower seeds, oatmeal, a bit of brewers yeast etc. to her usual feed to help her regain weight.

 

[FrappcinoObsession]

Well she is. She is showing all the signs of being broody, doesn’t leave the nest box, makes noises at me as soon as I come into the coop, if I pull her out she puffs up & flattens herself on the floor making almost growling noises at me, if I kick her out of the run to have free-range time with the others she acts normally & pecks & scratches, but then as soon as she has access to the coop again she is right back in the nest box. Yet every other day or so I find an egg under her. And I know it isn’t one of the 2 other hens bc of egg color & the fact that they don’t even have access to that box bc she is always on it.

My easter egger did the same thing she would cluck go in the nest and sleep on the roost but than the day after she went fully broody and stoped laying eggs and became overportective of her eggs I think broody hens lay eggs so they can collect a clutch to hatch. Happens to me all the time they lay and cluck but once the eggs are a clutch they hatch and incbate