Broody hen, trying to stop her.

[doghamstyluv95]

One of my hens, Apple, a golden campine has gone broody a few days ago. We are desperately trying to stop her because she is not eating at all. She refuses to eat. When I try to feed her, she thinks I am attacking her and starts pecking at me like mad. When I try to take her off the nest she just lays down in the exact same place I put her down and sits there puffed up. I have had 2 hens that went broody before this. One of them, it only took one day to stop her. Like, I just took her off and she forgot about it (she isn't the brightest hen in the coop) And the other one, it took me maybe three days to get her off. But Apple is the most intelligent of all the chickens and I can tell that she is really into being a mom. She got so angry before, that she started attacking my RIR. The poor thing didn't even do anything to her. But Apple got all the damage because my RIR is pretty big and Apple is almost the size of my bantams. They were fighting worse then my roosters ever fought(when Coco was still alive) I have never heard of hens fighting, can this actually happen or are my hens just strange? And Apple is of course sitting in the hens favorite nest so everyone is really upset about it. I have 6 nests for 9 hens and yet they just want that one

I have heard of the wire cage working the best so we will try that but I just have a question, should we put a roost in there or does she just have to lay on the ground? Thanks for any help!

 

[jackiedon]

I have read to put ice cubes under her to cool her body temp down. It said for determined hens it might take a couple tries with the ice cubes.

Good luck,

jackie

 

[doghamstyluv95]

Thanks but thats not exactly what I asked. Anyone else?

 

[panner123]

If you don't want chicks, remove the bedding from her nest. As for the fighting, that is natural. They will work it out if you let them.

 

[JennsPeeps]

See this post: https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=71586

 

[Chirpy]

Put her in the wire cage with no nesting materials - no roost either; just food and water.

I've now heard personally from someone else that did this that it actually worked in two days for them. I've read when others said it took a few days longer but did work for them to.

Good luck.


Why do those girls always want the same nest box? Silly hens ...mine are the same way. You know, if one girl has something the others just have to have the same thing!

 

[dancesWchickens]

I don't think you need to be desperate to interfere with your broody hen just because she's not eating or drinking. She's probably slipping out of the nest while you're not looking. I think people interfere with broody behavior because the hen stops laying when it happens, or she goes on for too long sitting on dud eggs. I'm pretty sure a normal, healthy hen will not starve or dehydrate herself to sit on eggs.

I think the apparent lack of eating and drinking is normal broody behavior. It happened to 3 of my hens so far and all survived no problem: 2 are raising chicks and the third is still sitting. My broodys do slip out and stretch, eat, drink, and make a gigantic poo every couple of days (or maybe every day - not sure because they are very careful to come out only when they think no one is watching). I bring bits of bread and grapes to them (moving slowly of course) - they give me killer zombie eyes, puff up and growl at my hand, and pretend they don't see the treats. But if I leave the bits right in front of the hen and come back later, they are gone. After a few days the hen realizes I'm not going to attack her and will eat the treats out of my hand (I think it's hilarious because the hen growls and puffs up and eats out of my hand all at the same time).

Re nest hogging: after a few days my nonbroody hens learn to stay far away from a broody girl, especially in the nestbox area. Takes a few arguments though.

Good luck!