Broody

[dr1939]

If a chicken goes broody and you don't have any place to put her to stop her from being broody, How long will she stay broody? Will she ever stop?

 

[sourland]

It will vary from hen to hen. Some will quit right around the 21 day mark and others will set an entire summer - even to the point of dying in rare instances.

 

[dr1939]

Thanks for the reply. I don't want her to die so I guess I will just have to keep taking her off the nest all the time and putting her back out in the yard?

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

Thanks for the reply. I don't want her to die so I guess I will just have to keep taking her off the nest all the time and putting her back out in the yard?

A more effective approach is to use "broody buster" - if you put her out in the yard she will likely a) just return to the nest as soon as possible and/or b) just settle in an nest in the yard. A broody hen will find a place to nest, period. The broody buster is a wire cage that you place the bird in. It is best placed in an elevated position (ie up on blocks) so that air flows up under the bird through the wire bottom. The cage should afford the bird enough room to stand up and move around comfortably. Place food, water and bird in cage - that is all. Do not put any bedding in the cage as this will provide her nesting materiel and she will happily settle her broody butt right back down into brooding mode. Leave the hen confined for three days or so and then release her for a test run. If she returns to brooding behavior, back in the cage - lather, rinse, repeat until she snaps out of it.
ETA - having now read the first post I see you are concerned you have no where to put her. You can put together a broody buster out of things you likely have around the house right now - a little creativity and ingenuity will go a long way.

 

[JackE]

A more effective approach is to use "broody buster" - if you put her out in the yard she will likely a) just return to the nest as soon as possible and/or b) just settle in an nest in the yard. A broody hen will find a place to nest, period. The broody buster is a wire cage that you place the bird in. It is best placed in an elevated position (ie up on blocks) so that air flows up under the bird through the wire bottom. The cage should afford the bird enough room to stand up and move around comfortably. Place food, water and bird in cage - that is all. Do not put any bedding in the cage as this will provide her nesting materiel and she will happily settle her broody butt right back down into brooding mode. Leave the hen confined for three days or so and then release her for a test run. If she returns to brooding behavior, back in the cage - lather, rinse, repeat until she snaps out of it.
ETA - having now read the first post I see you are concerned you have no where to put her. You can put together a broody buster out of things you likely have around the house right now - a little creativity and ingenuity will go a long way.

X2. Set up a BroodyBuster. Otherwise, you may be running out there all day, taking her off the nest. And that still probably won't do any good.

 

[dr1939]

Where can you get such a broody buster cage.?

 

[copper2]

If she hatches them she will stop being broody after a day or two. They are usually good mothers

 

[JackE]

Where can you get such a broody buster cage.?

I use an old wire boxtrap. You could make a simple one out of scrap wood, and some chicken wire. Just make sure, it's hung up so fresh air can get under the hen. Put some feed and water in there with her, No bedding of any kind.

 

[dr1939]

Do you leave her in there day and night? And for how long?

Thanks

 

[JackE]

Do you leave her in there day and night? And for how long?

Thanks

Yes, I leave her in there for four full days. I hang the B/B up inside the coop. So she gets to socialize (As much as a chicken will socialize) with her buddies. Also, it's a good idea to keep her around the other birds, if she was to disappear for a few days, the flock would get upset when she returned, and would have to go all through the pecking order stuff again.
I tried three days, and it was hit and miss. Sometimes it would be enough, other times, the hen would go right back on the nest. Four days works good for me.