Broody hen

[cluckmecoop7]

I think I have a broody hen. Her name is Dazzle and here she is, being broody:

Is there an EASY way to stop her? I don't have a rooster and I don't want to 'rent' one. lol
Anyway, I don't have room for for chickens.

Thanks in advance,
Clucky

 

[SueT]

Is she refusing to leave the nest? For how long? If you remove her does she return?
You can make a broody 'jail' with a wire bottom cage and keep her in it for at least 48 hours. Make sure air can circulate under her and cool her underside off. After that period try returning her to the flock. If she goes back in the nest, then pop her back into jail for another 24 hours. I had one that took 5 days to break, but usually 2-3 days does the trick. (be sure to provide food and water in the cage!)

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Is she refusing to leave the nest? For how long? If you remove her does she return?
You can make a broody 'jail' with a wire bottom cage and keep her in it for at least 48 hours. Make sure air can circulate under her and cool her underside off. After that period try returning her to the flock. If she goes back in the nest, then pop her back into jail for another 24 hours. I had one that took 5 days to break, but usually 2-3 days does the trick. (be sure to provide food and water in the cage!)

She's been like this for about 2 days. When I put her in the run, she shakes, walks around for about 20 or 30 seconds, then goes back up into the coop and I here her jump into the nest. When I look, she's just like she is in the pics I posted.

The 'jail' sounds like a good plan, but will the wire bottom hurt her feet? Thank you!

 

[SueT]

She's been like this for about 2 days. When I put her in the run, she shakes, walks around for about 20 or 30 seconds, then goes back up into the coop and I here her jump into the nest. When I look, she's just like she is in the pics I posted.

The 'jail' sounds like a good plan, but will the wire bottom hurt her feet? Thank you!

Well it's the standard method recommended on BYC. You can add a low roost as long as she can't warm up her belly....

 

[centrarchid]

Consider getting a rabbit cage like linked below and provide food and water. Otherwise have cage bare. Place cage on something so it is elevated giving her the impression she is well above ground. My logic does not involve keep brood patch cool, rather you make so she can see where she is located very well. You want to her to know she is not near nest she is imprinted on nor near a spot that increases odds she will find suitable for meeting her desire to brood in a protected space.

https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/dumor-24-in-rabbit-cage

She will find the ordeal stressful, which is in part good to speed up her body and brain re-collaborating from being in a broody cycle. Another approach that works with my games that are otherwise exceptionally broody, is to take her off the nest in a manner that makes her think she has been discovered by a predator. Either way she may be balled up for about 3 days as the physiological changes take place.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thank you both!

I have a old wire dog cage that will work.

 

[SurferchickinSB]

I think I have a broody hen. Her name is Dazzle and here she is, being broody:

View attachment 1911501 View attachment 1911503


Is there an EASY way to stop her? I don't have a rooster and I don't want to 'rent' one. lol
Anyway, I don't have room for for chickens.

Thanks in advance,
Clucky

Try to just remove her and see if that works. Sometimes they just break them selves after five or six days they just quit, especially if you keep removing them.

 

[Shadrach]

Centrarchids method above is worth trying before you go for the cage.
You do need to remove the nesting material as well I've found.
I get lots of broody hens each year and I have never had to resort to a wire cage.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thanks.

 

[aart]

Fastest and easiest, IMO, is the broody breaker crate.

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(look closely at pic below) 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.