Broody question, sort of...

[sawilliams]

So I went out to the coop today for a final egg check and found this...

now she didn't stay on the nest so I know she isn't broody (yet) but that worries me becuase I don't have a rooster, limited space and am already raising chicks...

We removed the golf balls, to lessen the idea of sitting. And took most of the feathers out to try to confirm which girl it was. I was at least 90% sure who without even checking the feathers as she was the last to lay. So other then keeping an eye on her (and all the girls for that matter) and like I said I removed the golf balls and I collect eggs 2 or more times a day. I only have 6 hens and 2 of them lay in separate boxes from the other 4 (those 4 aLL lsy in this box). Is there anything else I can try to do to help keep any of them from going broody?

 

[Jake777]

Lol That's hilarious!

Now, I by no means have the experience to the correct answer, but here are some search terms you could try while waiting for someone else to post.

How to unbrood chickens
How to make chickens go broody > Then reverse that info?
How to keep chickens from sitting on eggs
How to keep chickens from putting fake eggs in nest
How to undo chickens going broody
Why does my chicken like golf balls?
I love my chickens, but my chickens love my golf balls!

In my mind, Letting the chickens do there own thing and watching how it turns out in the end is the answer to your question. Just gotta be patient for it. Sounds like something that will work itself out

Hope you find your answer!

 

[Pork Pie]

You can break broodiness - just type "broody buster" in the search box for full details, but what it basically entails is putting the broody hen in a small structure with a ventilated base and suspending it off the ground (can be on some bricks, for example) with food and water for a few days.

All the best
CT

 

[sawilliams]

I'm no so much looking to break a broody hen. As much as to do as much as possible to prevent her from going broody. At least today after this adventure she did get off the nest and is up on the roosting bar for the night. But if she is already trying to line the nest with feathers I don't want anything to encourage her to do so. The golf balls were there to encourage the girls to use the boxes 5 of my 6 where pullets just coming into laying. Infact the one that did the feather work has only been laying 1 month. I just have no use for a broody and would rather prevent it then have to break it if possible.

 

[Pork Pie]

Its not possible to prevent broodiness - its hormonal

 

[aart]

You can't really stop it from happening, but you can break them once they go broody.
Removing the golf balls will not stop them from going broody, so you can leave them in the nests.


My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.
Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.

 

[sawilliams]

Good to know. I'm hoping since she isn't truly broody yet she won't become broody. I would like to do hatchling with a broody later on but not right now. I'm hoping that by removing the golf balls and trying to remove eggs more quickly it will discourage her. Epithet way at least for now I'll just keep an eye on them all and remove any as needed. Thanks for the help