Broody, unhappy hen-advice?

[aart]

Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
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 on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) 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. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[bmetz]

Yes a dog crate will work! Are you on Facebook ? If so like ( the chicken chick) and read her article on broody hens or go to her web page the chicken chick.com she is amazing!

Ok, great! Will do, thank you!

 

[bmetz]

I would also put a piece of wire or something in a corner & keep her from being able to go back in the nest until you can set the crate up!! It will keep her safe toooo! Food & water of course

Ok, thank you very much!

 

[bmetz]

Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
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 on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) 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. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.
View attachment 1851112

Yep, she was in it this morning around 6:45 when I went to check on them. No one had any eggs yet but she had one of the fake ones under her. Moved her out and she ended up going out in the run. They were all riled up with her out there bc she is acting different. Yeah, she wants to fluff back out and lay back down like she is covering eggs still. Yes, she walks around clucking constantly if not in the nest. She didn't want to leave coop and go in the run after I took her off the nest again today around 5:45.

Awesome, thank you for the advice and picture! I believe she is the same hen that started this last year after they first started laying. She was better after I moved her a few times. She is very determined now though! Going to have to try the crate method and see if I can get her out of the habit. Thanks again!

 

[bmetz]

So she has been in the "chicken jail" lol 2 nights and this is her 3rd day. How long do you guys usually wait? I know I could take her out to try and see what she does but I think I want to wait till night and put her on the roost. Maybe her sisters will be less grouchy to her that way. If I take her out too early does it start all over time wise? I assume she is still broody bc this morning she sat on half a bun(bread) lol that I gave her to have something to peck at. She ate some of the bun and attempted the lettuce... then sat on the bun lol. Maybe just coincidence where she plopped down but was kind of funny.

 

[aart]

I like to let them out about an hour before roost time,
if they head straight for the nest or end up in a nest instead of on the roost,
back into the crate.
Takes some practice to know when they are done, that clucking is the key for me.

 

[LaLonnie Nelson]

Yep, she was in it this morning around 6:45 when I went to check on them. No one had any eggs yet but she had one of the fake ones under her. Moved her out and she ended up going out in the run. They were all riled up with her out there bc she is acting different. Yeah, she wants to fluff back out and lay back down like she is covering eggs still. Yes, she walks around clucking constantly if not in the nest. She didn't want to leave coop and go in the run after I took her off the nest again today around 5:45.

Awesome, thank you for the advice and picture! I believe she is the same hen that started this last year after they first started laying. She was better after I moved her a few times. She is very determined now though! Going to have to try the crate method and see if I can get her out of the habit. Thanks again!

Yep, she was in it this morning around 6:45 when I went to check on them. No one had any eggs yet but she had one of the fake ones under her. Moved her out and she ended up going out in the run. They were all riled up with her out there bc she is acting different. Yeah, she wants to fluff back out and lay back down like she is covering eggs still. Yes, she walks around clucking constantly if not in the nest. She didn't want to leave coop and go in the run after I took her off the nest again today around 5:45.

Awesome, thank you for the advice and picture! I believe she is the same hen that started this last year after they first started laying. She was better after I moved her a few times. She is very determined now though! Going to have to try the crate method and see if I can get her out of the habit. Thanks again!

So she has been in the "chicken jail" lol 2 nights and this is her 3rd day. How long do you guys usually wait? I know I could take her out to try and see what she does but I think I want to wait till night and put her on the roost. Maybe her sisters will be less grouchy to her that way. If I take her out too early does it start all over time wise? I assume she is still broody bc this morning she sat on half a bun(bread) lol that I gave her to have something to peck at. She ate some of the bun and attempted the lettuce... then sat on the bun lol. Maybe just coincidence where she plopped down but was kind of funny.

 

[LaLonnie Nelson]

Keep her in the crate.. poor thing her hormones are raging if she is plopping her/self on a bun

 

[bmetz]

I like to let them out about an hour before roost time,
if they head straight for the nest or end up in a nest instead of on the roost,
back into the crate.
Takes some practice to know when they are done, that clucking is the key for me.

Ok, I thought about doing this- will the other hens attack her? My other idea was to sneak her onto the roost at night so they won't notice so much. Then if in the nest in the morning after sunrise could crate her again. What do you think? I know several of them were attacking her when I would remove from nest and put in run so she would eat/be out of nest.

 

[bmetz]

Keep her in the crate.. poor thing her hormones are raging if she is plopping her/self on a bun

Lol I thought the same. She seemed much better yesterday after I came home from work. She was up moving around in crate(before would just lay down and not move a whole lot) This morning she actually ran out of the crate when I opened the door to give her a treat. I was like hey, this is not how this works! Haha. I thought about maybe tonight or tomorrow night as she is getting stir crazy. Do you usually put in run close to roosting time or have you tried putting on roost at night?