Broody Wellsummer

[2150MormonRd]

I have a year old broody Wellsummer, no rooster, and I wonder when she will stop. She comes out every morning and eats, drinks, etc. I remove her from the nest four times a day, take all the eggs, two or three times. She just sits on air. She's not mean to me. Let's me pet her and take her out of the box, but she is a real wench to the other hens until she reports back to one of three boxes. She isn't even devoted to one box! Will she just stop? Its been about two weeks.

Thanks

 

[snood dude]

I have a year old broody Wellsummer, no rooster, and I wonder when she will stop. She comes out every morning and eats, drinks, etc. I remove her from the nest four times a day, take all the eggs, two or three times. She just sits on air. She's not mean to me. Let's me pet her and take her out of the box, but she is a real wench to the other hens until she reports back to one of three boxes. She isn't even devoted to one box! Will she just stop? Its been about two weeks.

Thanks

Keep removing her from the nest and she will eventually become discouraged stop being broody.

 

[50-45-1]

If you have a dog kennel, put her in it every day, all day long outside with food and water. Put her on the roost at night with the others. A couple days in outside in daytime and it should break her broodyness.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Broody jail: Put her in an isolation cage with some food and water, in sight of the others (in the coop if it's not too hot or in/near the run is ideal). A wire cage elevated to air flow under her would be the best option, however I've used everything from a brooder to a dog exercise pen.

Keep her in the cage around the clock for about 2 days. At that time, if she's shows fewer signs of broodiness (puffing up, flattening down and growling, tik tik tik noise) you can let her out to test her. If she runs back to the nest at any point (usually they don't do it immediately, but maybe after 15 minutes, maybe an hour) then she's not yet sufficiently broken and needs to go back to the cage for another 24 hours. Then let her out and test her again. Repeat until she's no longer going to the nest box.

IF the isolation cage is not safe for overnight stay (i.e. sits outside the run) then put her on the roost at night, and retrieve her from the nest box the next morning and put her back in the cage. It may take a little longer this way but better than letting a predator get to her.

 

[2150MormonRd]

Thanks all. She is finally not broody or on the nest anymore. About a week now. How long before she starts to lay again? Its been since 5.23.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Generally they'll resume laying in around 2 weeks, some sooner, some later. Very rarely there'll be birds that recover so slowly that they won't start up again until next season.