Broody Hens - I’ve tried EVERYTHING

[Aunt Angus]

I had one who would NOT break - we're talking WEEKS in broody jail, ice, fans, etc. I even tried giving her chicks. Nope. She rejected them and went right on brooding. What finally worked was setting up broody jail in my bathroom. I think being completely out of the coop worked.

 

[Painted Calls]

Mine usually take at least 10+ days to break. Two weeks isn't unheard of for me. That's catching them right away and putting them in broody jail.

How do you know she's not eating or drinking? Broodies only eat once to a couple times a day when they come off the nest for brief periods. So she wouldn't be eating and drinking a ton while she's broody anyway.

 

[aart]

I had one who would NOT break - we're talking WEEKS in broody jail, ice, fans, etc. I even tried giving her chicks. Nope. She rejected them and went right on brooding. What finally worked was setting up broody jail in my bathroom. I think being completely out of the coop worked.

Might have been cooler there too?
I had a serial broody one summer, had to move the breaker crate several times a day to keep it in the shade during a heat wave, I think the change of scenery helped break her....
...tho not for long. After breaking her 7 times, after her hatching in March, I finally gave her away, she never went broody again. SMH.

It can take tenacity and creativity to manage a breaker crate.
I finally got the 'perfect' set up with a feeder that lasts and won't spill.
Using horizontal nipples made watering easy.
The cup, with hanger wires bent so they won't knock it down, is for a handful of scratch every morning(just like the rest of the flock gets).

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(1x2) on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

After 48 hours I let her out of crate very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate for another 48 hours.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor, gives the feet a break from the wire floor and encourages roosting.

 

[3KillerBs]

I finally got the 'perfect' set up with a feeder that lasts and won't spill.
Using horizontal nipples made watering easy.
The cup, with hanger wires bent so they won't knock it down, is for a handful of scratch every morning(just like the rest of the flock gets).

This inspired my own Outdoor Broody Breaker when I didn't have room in the coop for a crate: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/outdoor-broody-breaker.76592/

 

[SueT]

I think being completely out of the coop worked.

YES, I think after total isolation from the flock for 3 days, she is so thrilled to be back to the gang, back to normal, that seems to help distract her from broody inclination. I am sure that is part of it.

 

[deviflux]

I have one hen that goes broody . Last year put in broody jail for 2 days that broke her. This year I tried chicks ... didn't work so hubby dunked her. Broke her in a day

I just gave all three a quick dunk and they are currently with the rest of the ladies grazing in the yard. Hopefully it sticks! Thanks for the tip!

 

[BarnyardChaos]

Does anyone know if dunking is likely to break a hard-core broody?

 

[Aunt Angus]

Does anyone know if dunking is likely to break a hard-core broody?

Depends on the bird. Dunking isn't advised because hens gave gone into shock, but some folks swear by it. When I "dunked" my broody, it was more of a "get her underside a little wet to cool her off." And it was when it was warm out (obviously - don't want to freeze her).

 

[deviflux]

Depends on the bird. Dunking isn't advised because hens gave gone into shock, but some folks swear by it. When I "dunked" my broody, it was more of a "get her underside a little wet to cool her off." And it was when it was warm out (obviously - don't want to freeze her).

That’s what I did, just a little butt dunk.

 

[jlwquilter]

When a hen goes broody I put her in the tsc small coop that’s in the run, with water and feed. In the afternoon after the other girls have laid I close up the lay box (which is a large garbage can on its side) by turning the opening to be against the coop wall and then let miss broody out. She paces and ticks and all of that. She eats out of the regular feeder bin - usually she ignores the feed in the tsc coop. At night she usually roosts but if she doesn’t it doesn’t matter. In the morning she’s pacing by the closed off lay box. I pick her up and put her back in the tsc coop. Open up the lay box for the other girls. In the afternoon I close up the box, let miss broody out, rinse and repeat until she no longer beelines it to the nest box. This is what I found to be easiest and doesn’t upset the flock order and regular routine.