Broody hen

[Little Buffs]

hi everyone I have a very broody hen and this is our first experience with one. Our coop isn't big enough to do the crate suggestion so we have just been taking her off at around lunchtime and locking off he nest and sleep area. If anyone has any suggestions to help us that would be much appreciated. Thank you

 

[Top Rooster]

Would you like to hatch eggs? If so you could get some eggs from a nearby person with roosters and hens unless you already have a rooster she could be a great mother without it costing much for chicks. If you don't I just push them off the nest but that doesn't work for everyone because my hens aren't aggressive broodies but some are.

 

[Little Buffs]

We wouldn't like anymore chicks, she pecks us a bit when we take her off. We will just have to keep at it I guess until it passes.

 

[Ridgerunner]

That's a problem with a small coop, not enough room to handle much. But lots of people deal with it. The only way I've broken a broody is with a wire bottomed cage, though I really haven't tried any other method.

What you need is a predator-secure area where you can put an elevated cage, either hanging or blocked up. Something like those wire dog cages work well. How secure is your run? Do you have another outbuilding or possibly garage where you could put a crate? I'd think in Suffolk she could handle being outside this time of year, but you might want a cover to protect her from rain. Three full days and nights in the cage usually works.

Not much help I'm aware but I don't know what options other than the coop itself you have. Good luck!

 

[Little Buffs]

Thank you, we live in a built up area. They usually roam the garden all day at the moment. But I've just gone out there and she has decided to lay on the floor underneath the nest boxes. I will have to do some more reading up I think. Thank you for your help

 

[azygous]

Your attempts to break her by simply discouraging access to a nest are failing as you are discovering. The reason is because broodies are very resourceful at finding substitutes for a nest. By simply burrowing into the ground a bit, this warms her underside and keeps the hormones active.

The broody-breaker cage with the open mesh bottom both prevents her from nesting behavior and cools her body temp down so it works to lower her hormone levels. Allowing things to run their course could take a month. You can break her in three days if you wish to do it the tried and true way.

This works best by placing the cage in the center of flock activity in the run or out in the yard where the other chickens are most active. If your yard won't accommodate the broody cage, then a garage or storage shed will do. Or a deck. Or a back porch. Or the shower in your bathroom. It's time for you to get as resourceful as your chicken.

 

[centrarchid]

You could break her in seconds if sufficiently stressed. I wonder if sufficiently stressed can be simulated without causing major issues like interaction with predator does while on nest.

 

[Top Rooster]

You could maybe take her on a car ride that would stress her without killing her

 

[azygous]

Beware of centrarchid's experiments.

 

[centrarchid]

The broody breaking pens are quite stressful in their on right. I have two running in parallel now and would like a quicker / better approach. Nest busted up by a predator somehow breaks broodiness quicker than any approach I have used.