Broody hen

[cowboy bob]

ok so I’ve looked at several posts, it seems the consensus is to cage my broody. She has been setting for three days. If I leave her will she actually stay long enough to starve? I have no roo so hatch isn’t possible. Some have said to cool her off like in a bath. Is that necessary? What did farmers do?

 

[ashlierami]

ok so I’ve looked at several posts, it seems the consensus is to cage my broody. She has been setting for three days. If I leave her will she actually stay long enough to starve? I have no roo so hatch isn’t possible. Some have said to cool her off like in a bath. Is that necessary? What did farmers do?

If she is broody she will set on the eggs for weeks even if they aren't fertile . My girls go broody and it's contagious I have silkie mixes and they just can't get enough. To break min I remove them from the nest several times and make them roost with the others at night. I also keep the nests clear of eggs and they usually give up . I have one hen I fought with for 3 or 4 weeks because she refused to break. I ended up having to cage her during the day and it took about a week for her to give up. If eggs ever accumulate on my nests then I end up with a broody. I only have 6 girls but I pick up eggs several times to keep the nests clear.

 

[HenOnAJuneBug]

I'm a contrarian, mainly because I don't have a cage, but what I do works. I just block off the nests at night and make sure they're on the roost when it's dark. They can do what they want during the day. Takes about a week or less, and has always worked for me.

 

[rosemarythyme]

She should be caged with food and water. She probably won't eat much but no she shouldn't starve.

 

[aart]

it seems the consensus is to cage my broody

It's the easiest and fastest way to break them.

Some have said to cool her off like in a bath. Is that necessary?

No, it's not...but it can help if the weather is very hot. Cool water not cold which can shock them.

What did farmers do?

<shrugs> who knows, probably let them set and hatch.



My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run 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 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[Mrs. K]

I so want a broody. This is the first summer in a decade that I have not had a broody hen. I have a perfectly healthy hen that did it for me last year. But so far nothing. I have piled eggs, left the nest area alone for a day or two, changed the bedding, fed high protein... but the chicken Gods must be against me. Nothing so far!

If they go, they probably will have 3 go and no eggs.

Mrs K