Broody

[montymou]

My Phiphi has gone broody and it is causing chaos with the other four chickens. I have separated her and locked her up, with food and water, when I forced her to go outside the others started pecking at her, this has been three days now, should I keep her locked up, the others have not been laying since 2 days because of this, the nesting boxes are liberated due to Phiphi being 'in prison'. It is only the second time I have had a broody, any suggestions would be appreciated and no, I don't want to cook her!

 

[Naser]

You need a broody cage

 

[aart]

Where did you lock her up?
Did she go back to nest when you let her out?
Was she picked on before she became broody?

Broody hens can be picked on because they are acting 'differently'...or they can be aggressive.

I find it best to break them in a wire crate in the right in the coop.

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 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.