Broody? How to fix?

[Overthinker]

Hi,
I have a hen that has been hanging out in the nesting box. When i open the lid she growls and fluffs up. So i take her out and set her on a bag of cold peas and she stays out for a little while but then i just find her in there again. The box isn't big enough for her to hang out in because the other chickens nees to lay eggs in there. I'd like to fix this before the other chickens start laying in the bushes or something.


Any other ideas to get her to stay out? I don't want to lock everyone out bwca

 

[PippinTheChicken]

@aart

 

[Battlepants]

Got an old wire dog crate around? Put it up on some blocks and put it in the run/coop (where ever it fits), put a roost bar in there and put your chicken in there. Should give some good airflow under her belly to cool her off.

Also, am I reading that right that you only one one nest box? Is it at all possible to add more nest boxes around for them?

 

[Overthinker]

The nesting box is pretty big, it's like 4 foot by 2 foot or something. I could maybe try and build another one and attach but it'd be a ton of work and 2x4s are like $200 each right now

 

[Overthinker]

I'm thinking maybe taking her out and putting her on frozen bag isn't quite right and I'll try not taking her out and just putting the bag under her

 

[Ridgerunner]

That 2' x 4' nest box is probably called a "community nest box", depending some on how it is made. Supposedly they can handle up to 24 hens for laying but aren't great for broody hens. Most of my broody hens don't mind another hen laying in the nest with them but every now and then one does. So you need to break her.

The way I do that is an elevated cage with a wire floor so a cool breeze can get under her. I built one with a 1/2" hardware cloth floor but many people use a wire dog cage. Wire, not the plastic dog crate. Set it up on blocks, give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest. I leave mine in there for 72 hours before I let them out. That's usually enough. If they go back to the nest when I let them out I toss them back in cage for another couple of days.

 

[Battlepants]

The nesting box is pretty big, it's like 4 foot by 2 foot or something. I could maybe try and build another one and attach but it'd be a ton of work and 2x4s are like $200 each right now

Got an old wire coathanger and a shirt that you don't want anymore? Unfold the coathanger to create a sort of curtain rod and put the old shirt on there. In theory, setting up a privacy curtain in the corner could set her up with a good private nestbox to brood her days away.

This, of course, assumes that you have fertile eggs to give her, and you want more chickens.

 

[Overthinker]

No rooster, and i don't really want her in there 24/7. So basically figure out a way to keep her out of the nest for a couple days?(cage). Thanks for the help. So small cage with wire floor and a roost bar? Lemme think about Where I can stick the poor thing

 

[rosemarythyme]

No rooster, and i don't really want her in there 24/7. So basically figure out a way to keep her out of the nest for a couple days?(cage). Thanks for the help. So small cage with wire floor and a roost bar? Lemme think about Where I can stick the poor thing

If no room in the coop, you can cage her in the run. If the run isn't predator proof or you don't feel comfortable keeping her in the run overnight, you can put her on the roost once it's night time, then return her to the cage the next day. May take longer to break that way (as she will go back to the nest at daybreak), but safety first.

 

[aart]

So small cage with wire floor and a roost bar?

Might have to put smaller wire on the bottom.