Broody Hen

[IBB]

I am very new to the world of chickens and would appreciate some advice. I have five silky hens and one of them is broody. There is no rooster and she is not sitting on any eggs. How do you break the broody cycle? I havent a clue what to do.

 

[Pork Pie]

http://www.backyardchickens.com/t/181289/how-to-break-a-broody-hen

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I block off the nests at night so they have to roost. Takes about a week to break them. Last time took 2 days.

 

[IBB]

Ok thanks for that. I will give it a try

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

Ok thanks for that. I will give it a try

You might have to watch to see if she camps out on the floor in front of the nest. One of mine did that, so I waited until nearly dark to pick her up and put her on the roost. They're probably not going to jump off the roost when its dark.

 

[IBB]

Thanks for the info

 

[aart]

I put em in a crate.

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.
Chunk of 2x4 was added to crate floor after pic was taken.