Broody hen question

[Ravenseye]

Breaking a broody via broody jail:
Put her in an isolation cage with some food and water, in sight of the others (in the coop if it's not too hot or in/near the run is ideal). A wire cage elevated to air flow under her would be the best option, however I've used everything from a brooder to a dog exercise pen.

Keep her in the cage around the clock for about 2 days. At that time, if she's shows fewer signs of broodiness (puffing up, flattening down and growling, tik tik tik noise) you can let her out to test her. If she runs back to the nest at any point (usually they don't do it immediately, but maybe after 15 minutes, maybe an hour) then she's not yet sufficiently broken and needs to go back to the cage for another 24 hours. Then let her out and test her again. Repeat until she's no longer going to the nest box.

IF the isolation cage is not safe for overnight stay (i.e. sits outside the run) then put her on the roost at night, and retrieve her from the nest box the next morning and put her back in the cage. It may take a little longer this way but better than letting a predator get to her.

I second this. My Buff O's get broody from time to time. I can't leave them out at night so when one gets broody, she goes in a largish dog cage in the run. That usually works pretty quick. Sometimes I just let them stay broody until they've had enough and I put up with her pecking at me and being generally unreasonable!

 

[Farmgirl1878]

My Speckled Sussex, Dottie, went broody late in April. She’s middle of the pecking order, but is pretty tough, so I left her in the nest box with two wooden eggs and waited to see what would happen. (She was in the nest box that isn’t used for laying.) She stayed broody, so I ordered six Brahma chicks from Mt. Healthy. When the chicks arrived, I sneaked them under her that night and it’s been smooth sailing ever since! (We did lose one buff chick, not sure why, but I think her wing was damaged and she died from the shock.)

 

[Padorna23]

To jail she went... tried the frozen veggies and she sat on them til they were cooked haha