Broody

[Nursepine]

I have a buff who is broody and have tried many times putting her out of the coop but she runs back in. We have put her out 15 times in a row and runs back in and have tried this daily. We tried giving her another spot to sit but she just ran back to the coop. We have to take her out and close the coop so she would eat but the other chickens needed to go lay their eggs. Last we tried a frozen water bottle under her but she just stayed and sat on that. I have to pull her out to eat and some of her feathers are coming out (not a lot) and she in not laying eggs she sits on the other girls eggs. I am at a loss. What do I do? I was going to get her a fertilized egg but they will only send me 6 and with my luck all 6 will hatch and they would all be rosters.
Please give me more ideas I am stumped.
Suzanne

 

[sourland]

In order to break her you will need to place her in a cage or coop so that she can not return to her broody site. As long as she can get back to her nest site she will try to set.

 

[sylviethecochin]

Alternatively, see if you can get a few sexed day-olds and slip them under her at night.

 

[Nursepine]

In order to break her you will need to place her in a cage or coop so that she can not return to her broody site. As long as she can get back to her nest site she will try to set.

In order to break her you will need to place her in a cage or coop so that she can not return to her broody site. As long as she can get back to her nest site she will try to set.

So do i give her a box to sit in or just leave her in a pen with no box. And if i just leave her in a pen do i let her go back to her coop to sleep.?

 

[Ridgerunner]

You lock her where she cannot go back to her nest for 72 hours. It really helps if it is an elevated cage with a wire bottom so her bottom cools off. Give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest.

 

[Nursepine]

Will this work.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That pen should work unless she's extremely dedicated, in which case you'll want to find a way to get some air under her to cool her belly. So far I've not had a problem simply using a pen versus a wire cage. Keep her penned up with food and water, ideally in a secure location within eyesight of the rest of the flock, until she stops showing broody behaviors (the broody cluck, puffing up, obsessing over nest). 2-5 days should do it.

 

[Mimi13]

That pen should work unless she's extremely dedicated, in which case you'll want to find a way to get some air under her to cool her belly. So far I've not had a problem simply using a pen versus a wire cage. Keep her penned up with food and water, ideally in a secure location within eyesight of the rest of the flock, until she stops showing broody behaviors (the broody cluck, puffing up, obsessing over nest). 2-5 days should do it.

Generally, how long does it take for a “broken broody” to start laying again?

 

[rosemarythyme]

Generally they'll start laying again in a few weeks - anywhere from 10 days or so, to 2 or 3 weeks.

 

[Mimi13]

Generally they'll start laying again in a few weeks - anywhere from 10 days or so, to 2 or 3 weeks.

Thank you very much.