Broody?

[Oceanseve]

My hen has gotten very noisy as of late, I've posted to get rid of her because when she is in the run it is very loud and very annoying, hubby thinks its because of the birds that have taken over the trees above our yard since they suddenly have no fear of our cats or dogs this year.

This is the first day in 6-7 days that I haven't gotten an egg from her, but she has been spending almost all her time in the coop. I thought it was cause of the weather, but she is fluffing up and making a coo pigeon type sound at me when I mess with her. She also has had some very LARGE poops this last few days... at first I thought my boston terrier had gotten in the run

... So far it has not affected her laying from what I can tell, so what do you think? Sound broody?

If you think so please give me tips on how to break her of it!!

 

[katrinag]

If she does not leave the nest fro a coulpe days then I say you have a broody on your hands.
Why do you want to break her if she is? He

 

[Oceanseve]

No roo. and I have enough chics on my hands, so no reason to buy eggs to incubate. She is the only hen I have right now so I really want her to keep laying and ditch the loud attitude.

I really think the only times I've seen her outside the coop the last few days is when I've put her out there. She may go out of her own accord, but I've only seen her do so once... maye twice the last 3-4 days. I thought is was cause she was angry at me for spraying her with water during one of her outbursts.....

I do have some broilers that aren't even a week yet, if I stick a couple of those under her will that apease her? Or is it too early in the process? Course by the time I wait a couple weeks, no one will be small enough to stick under her....

 

[katrinag]

What you can do since you already have a load of chickens is put her in a dog crate with no bedding no nothing except food and water for a couple days to see if that will break her.

 

[Oceanseve]

Good! I already stuck her in the bathroom and was hoping someone would suggest such a thing since its the only thing I could think to do. I have plenty of dog crates so I will fix her up.

 

[katrinag]

Good luck

 

[Ridgerunner]

I've got the following always ready to go as this comes up a lot. The dog crate idea should work. Remember, give her nothing that she can use for a nest.

The best way to break a broody is to keep her in a small cage off the ground with a wire bottom for three or four days. The wire bottom keeps her undersides cool, which seems to help. Give her food and water and she should be fine. Do not give her anything that looks like a nest or nesting materials.

If you don't have the wire cage, any small cage will do, but it might take a little longer. Just find a way to keep her from going back to her nest.

I saw a post where someone put coldpacks in the nest. The cold supposedly cured the broody. Never tried it myself.

 

[Oceanseve]

Well I didn't have time to get one set up tonight (seeing as I couldn't find the blasted door for the smallest one I have

) so I blocked the enterance to the coop and put the carrier in the run, thinking she'd have something resembling shelter.... dmn thing pushed her way into the coop

guess I'll try tomorrow.

 

[Oceanseve]

Oh yeah, she's broody. No egg today and when I went to check she had found the fake egg I had hidden under the ladder leading out to the run in a pile of straw, pulled it to the other side of the coop and was laying on it......