Broody hen

[Mallory F]

I have a BCM that is constantly broody. It will take me a month to break her. She'll be fine for a month then she'll go broody again. We don't have a rooster, so no fertilized eggs. She'll sit in an empty nest. She is so skinny. I've thought about letting her hatch some, but I don't want more chickens now and I'm not sure if that would help. Any advise?

 

[DobieLover]

I have a BCM that is constantly broody. It will take me a month to break her. She'll be fine for a month then she'll go broody again. We don't have a rooster, so no fertilized eggs. She'll sit in an empty nest. She is so skinny. I've thought about letting her hatch some, but I don't want more chickens now and I'm not sure if that would help. Any advise?

Break her.
You need to put her in an elevated wire dog crate with a piece of wood for her to sit on, food and water.

If it's hot where you are, I would dunk her in a COOL water bath to wet her belly and put her in the crate with a fan directed at her. If you are able to, do this several times throughout the day.
Leave her in the crate in the shade in a predator safe place for three full days and nights. Let her out about 1 hour before roost time on the final day and watch her. If she heads back to the nest boxes, put her back in the crate for another night and day and try again the next night until she roosts.
I, too, have a persistent broody. Every time we get another heat wave, she's back at it. She gets locked up if I find her in there during the day. The Sebright.

 

[Mallory F]

I do all that except dunking her. I break her but in a month she's broody again. She's like a woman with her period‍

 

[Silkie Princess]

Mabye hatching out eggs for somebody? Like they pay you and give you the eggs and when the broody rises them you give the pullets/cockrells to them?

 

[DobieLover]

I do all that except dunking her. I break her but in a month she's broody again. She's like a woman with her period‍

Then keep breaking her. My Sebright had been in the clink 5 times. Some are persistent.

 

[aart]

It will take me a month to break her.

In an elevated wire crate?

 

[Mallory F]

Yes, in an elevated crate. She is so stubborn

 

[aart]

Yes, in an elevated crate. She is so stubborn

Wire bottomed crate with no bedding?
Did you leave her in there 24/7....for how many days in a row?

 

[Mallory F]

Wire bottomed crate with no bedding?
Did you leave her in there 24/7....for how many days in a row?

Yep, no bedding only food and water. She was in there for a week. I let her out a couple times a day to stretch and dust bathe and as soon as she went back to the nest she went back in the crate. I'll finally break her and she'll be fine for a month and then she'll go broody again.

 

[bobbi-j]

Some birds are just chronically broody. You might want to think about whether or not she’s a good fit for your flock. Do you ever plan on hatching out chicks? Will you get chicks in the spring? If yes to either of those, you might want to hang onto her. If you don’t want to have to keep breaking her every month, maybe it’s best to remove her from the flock. I wouldn’t think it would be terribly hard to find someone looking for a good broody.