Broody just won’t quit

[FluffHoarder]

I have a broody hen who I just can’t seem to break her of her broodiness and it’s hot here this summer and I’m getting kinda afraid for her health. I’ve tried just about everything, cold water, ice packs, not letting her have access to a nest or eggs, putting her in a breezy open bottom cage, I’ve even tried spraying her off with a hose when she hops on a nest. I would give her babies but she’s a baby killer. She is also an older hen, like around seven or eight now. Does any body have any ideas on what to do? It’s getting close to fall and I’m afraid she might end up getting sick because it gets cold fast here

 

[sourland]

If you don't allow her access to a nest, how does she set?

 

[FluffHoarder]

She’ll essentially just plop herself down in a corner, settle down like as if she had eggs underneath her, puff up, and scream at me if I try to get her back up and put her outside. She’s been like this for a month now

 

[Acre4Me]

Cold water baths can help in extreme cases. I think either @WthrLady or @Sueby has done this with persistent broodies - maybe they have advice.

 

[WthrLady]

I breed broodies. LOL. heading back up to read.....

 

[WthrLady]

I have a broody hen who I just can’t seem to break her of her broodiness and it’s hot here this summer and I’m getting kinda afraid for her health. I’ve tried just about everything, cold water, ice packs, not letting her have access to a nest or eggs, putting her in a breezy open bottom cage, I’ve even tried spraying her off with a hose when she hops on a nest. I would give her babies but she’s a baby killer. She is also an older hen, like around seven or eight now. Does any body have any ideas on what to do? It’s getting close to fall and I’m afraid she might end up getting sick because it gets cold fast here

OK so you've tried the lot.
The only thing I can add is a bright location, with a radio, and that open bottom cage with a fan lightly blowing on her.
I have a 6 year old who went through perpetual broodieness last year, so age 5. I tried everything, just as soon as one method worked, she go back to being broody as soon as she went back to the coop and heard chicks or found something to sit on.
I swear she went through chicken version of menopause. She drove me NUTS!
I finally just put her in an open bottom cage, with a light, and kept her there until she really quit. She ate, she drank, she was mean, and growly, just a royal PIA.
It took three weeks, and she hasn't been broody since.
So maybe yours just need to snap too.

 

[Sueby]

Ugh, my broody will be the death of me! I tied everything with her too, I think in the end I was just more persistent than her. It seems every heat wave we have triggers her to go broody so she's always setting at 90+ degrees while we're all miserable. Sounds like you've tried it all, good luck, she will eventually break.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If you have A/C, might want to try caging her inside and away from the flock. Generally you wouldn't want to do that, but the combination of cooler temps + the shock of being in a different environment might help to snap her out of it.

 

[Acre4Me]

If you have A/C, might want to try caging her inside and away from the flock. Generally you wouldn't want to do that, but the combination of cooler temps + the shock of being in a different environment might help to snap her out of it.

Agree that a totally different environment may help. We had a broody, and decided we would let her be broody for the chicks we had on order, so she sat and did her broody thing for nearly 3 weeks. We moved her to the brooder, into a nest in the barn. But, that move was enough to get her all worked up and distracted where she broke herself within a few days. So, inside in a/c environment might be the thing to get her out of it too.