broody hen, terrible timing

[Amastacia]

one of my BR hens seems to be broody. the yesterday and today when i've gone out the get eggs and let the girls out in the yard she hasn't left the box and poofs up really big when i try to get the eggs out from under her.


and of course she waits until i move my rabbit into the larger cage to do this. how big of a cage do you need to put a hen in to break the broodiness?

 

[Judy]

It's not so much the size, it's the open air design for the floor, plus propping it up so air flows under the hen. It should be big enough that she can stand, hopefully take a few steps, and of course big enough to hold food and water. A wire dog crate is often used. She's pretty much in a trance while broody, anyway. When she starts objecting to the confinement, hopefully she's given up.