Broody hens Can to share the same dog cage

[Fontaine]

I have two broody hens out of a flock of 12. I’ve tried for three days removing them from their nest nonstop. I can’t close the nests as 12 hens use them Throughout the day. I’ve tried the cool water( We live in Florida and it’s very hot) Distracting them with treats given on other areas of the property. They basically free range. I have one large dog cage. I think I have to resort to jail. I’m wondering if I can keep both hens in one cage? Because of the heat I’ll have to have them in the house. My whole family arrives tomorrow so this will be a very interesting experience. I guess the youngest gets to share his room with the chickens! One of the Brodie’s is a white Cochin named Savannah the other Dominick is Genevieve. Genevieve is being more stubborn than Savannah. Any other tips I haven’t read about would be appreciated. Thanks!


I’ve tried cool water treats distractions.

 

[azygous]

I take it you wish to break these broodies? A cage is the only sensible method. But it has to have an open mesh floor so air can circulate under the hens.

Yes, more than one broody may share a cage, but only if they agree not to kill each other. You will only know this after you put them together. Good luck.

 

[Fontaine]

I take it you wish to break these broodies? A cage is the only sensible method. But it has to have an open mesh floor so air can circulate under the hens.

Yes, more than one broody may share a cage, but only if they agree not to kill each other. You will only know this after you put them together. Good luck.

Oh thanks. I’m going to try it. They’re both pretty low on the pecking order And have gotten a long in the past . But then their hormones haven’t been raging so we’ll see!!

 

[Fontaine]

I have both in the cage. They are fine together. My question is... did I read somewhere you are supposed to leave a light on? All night?

 

[Mamatomany123]

I have both in the cage. They are fine together. My question is... did I read somewhere you are supposed to leave a light on? All night?

No, dont leave the light on. They need to sleep. Just make sure the bottom is open and there is no place they can lay in something solid. Food and water need to be available and there needs to be room for both to move around.

 

[Fontaine]

Oh good. I thought it would be stressful if they couldn’t sleep. I have the wire cage elevated and put a roost bar inside. So relieved to have BYC expertise!!!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Glad they're getting along in there! And yes I've had no issues putting 2 broodies in one cage, as long as they're birds that generally get along, and there's enough room for them to move around.

 

[Fontaine]

The first night went fine in one cage. Today I decided they did not have enough room to move around much so I picked up a second cage. I have a fenced yard area away from the coop. I was wondering if I could take them out there for a little exercise and a change of scenery. Or is confinement also a mental thing that shouldn’t be interrupted? I know they wouldn’t be allowed to lay in the grass or anywhere. Thank you!

 

[rosemarythyme]

I'd keep them confined. They won't really get bored in there, any anxiety you see them displaying is because they want to get out and get back on the nests.

 

[kcan2]

The first night went fine in one cage. Today I decided they did not have enough room to move around much so I picked up a second cage. I have a fenced yard area away from the coop. I was wondering if I could take them out there for a little exercise and a change of scenery. Or is confinement also a mental thing that shouldn’t be interrupted? I know they wouldn’t be allowed to lay in the grass or anywhere. Thank you!

I let my broody hen outside for a bit of supervised recess time and although she complained the whole time (made the continuous broody ticking sound) she did follow my rooster to poke around a bit. I figured anything that helps distract her helps it still takes about 3 days in jail but breaks are ok as long as you can watch her so she won't get back on that nest!