Broody question

[becks1984]

Hi everyone,

Sorry to ask, I know this has been asked lots of times but I was hoping for some advice, we are new to owning chickens and not sure if we have this right!

We have three 11 month old bantam hens and one of them (light Sussex) has I think(!!) turned broody. She's been laying pretty much every day since we got them a few weeks ago but yesterday she stayed in the nest box most of the day and again today. I've been gently turfing her out a few times a day and she then acts normally for a while before heading back in. She's not aggressive or moody with me when I move her and there are no eggs under her but I wonder if she's turned broody? If so should I leave her be or do something? Thanks so much in advance for any help!

 

[SunkenRoadFarms]

I usually wait to see if mine stay in the box for three days and three nights and stop laying. If so then I give them eggs or break them. Sounds like you might have one!

 

[becks1984]

Thanks so much for the reply, this is now day 3 and she hasn't come charging out with the others like normal for her breakfast and is still sitting in there all puffed up when I look in.

I've googled it a lot but was wondering would a medium dog crate be ok to put her in? Also do I leave this crate in the run with the others? I could bring it into the house at night, it's still a bit chilly at nights here, but didn't know whether to keep her apart from the others completely. Also do I let her out to forage every day or wait a few days? Sorry for all the questions!

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If you put her in a dog crate there is a good possibility that she will just keep trying to sit either with or without eggs present.

There are other options besides a swinging wire cage but all the other options work equally as well.

 

[SunkenRoadFarms]

Wire bottom cages away from the flock have worked best for me. I don't let them out until they have been in for 48 hours, then I let them out to forage and watch to see if they go back to the nest. If so it's back to the cage for another 48 hours.

 

[becks1984]

Thanks so much for the advice, I have put her in a wire dog cage with food and water and have put this in the run so she's not completely alone! Will leave it a couple of days and see how she is when I let her out. Fingers crossed as she's a monkey to catch!

 

[JackE]

I hang my broody buster up inside the coop. In case it rains, she's covered. I leave them in there 4 full days, at least. Any less than that, and more often than not, they'll go right back on the nest.

 

[donrae]

Don't let her out of the cage at all for 3-5 days for best results. If you're going to break her, get it all done at once. Letting her out will allow her to set somewhere and keep the broody hormones going.

 

[becks1984]

Thanks so much, I really appreciate all the help this is all new to me! She is still in the cage, it's only been a day so far and she is thoroughly unimpressed with it! I've put it in the run during the day with the others and brought it in at nights. She is eating and drinking well still and looks normal just a bit fed up! Will give it a few days then and see how we go, are there any signs to look out for when I do let her out that she's still broody and needs to go back in? Or is it just if she goes back to the nest box?

 

[aart]

My birds are confined, so easier to deal with than free rangers I guess, and I work from home so am able to keep an eye on things.

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 few bricks right in the coop and I would feed her some watered down 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.