BRRODY HEN

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

i have a 10 month old white frizzle bantam that wont get out of the nesting box...looks like she is losing all her feathers also.....she doesnt sit on any eggs, and rarely comes out to drink or eat...worried i am......she is an itty bitty little thing

 

[21_chickens]

are you willing to add to your flock? we had the same problem so we bought our silkie 4 baby isa browns to raise and she couldn’t be happier! they’ll raise anything lol! if not, all i can say to do is to keep taking her out of the nesting box and bringing her out to the run. it might take a while, but eventually she won’t be broody anymore.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

are you willing to add to your flock? we had the same problem so we bought our silkie 4 baby isa browns to raise and she couldn’t be happier! they’ll raise anything lol! if not, all i can say to do is to keep taking her out of the nesting box and bringing her out to the run. it might take a while, but eventually she won’t be broody anymore.

im just afraid she wont eat or drink.....i will try to move her frequently tomorrow, thanks

 

[21_chickens]

i hope she does better!

 

[Painted Calls]

You can put her in "Broody Jail" if you don't wish to give her chicks.

I just took two of mine out of broody jail.

 

[Ridgerunner]

My test as to whether a hen is broody or not is where does she spend the night. If she spends two consecutive nights on the nest instead of sleeping in her normal spot she is broody.

The way I break a hen from being broody is to lock her in an elevated cage with a wire bottom for 72 hours. I give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest. The cool air from underneath helps break her. With most 72 hours is enough, but occasionally she has to go back in. Each one can be different. To me, this is the simplest way to approach it.

Before she starts to lay a hen stores excess fat. That's mostly what a broody hen lies on while broody. That way she doesn't need to come off the nest to eat but instead can take care of her eggs. Often I never see a hen come off the nest at all but since she is not pooping in the nest I know she is coming off. So she is not hurting herself by seldom coming off, just using fat put there for that purpose.

I'd check her for mites and lice, especially roost mites. Roost mites are scared of the dark and only come out at night, so check after dark. If she is broody roost mites are a danger.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

My test as to whether a hen is broody or not is where does she spend the night. If she spends two consecutive nights on the nest instead of sleeping in her normal spot she is broody.

The way I break a hen from being broody is to lock her in an elevated cage with a wire bottom for 72 hours. I give her food and water but nothing that looks like a nest. The cool air from underneath helps break her. With most 72 hours is enough, but occasionally she has to go back in. Each one can be different. To me, this is the simplest way to approach it.

Before she starts to lay a hen stores excess fat. That's mostly what a broody hen lies on while broody. That way she doesn't need to come off the nest to eat but instead can take care of her eggs. Often I never see a hen come off the nest at all but since she is not pooping in the nest I know she is coming off. So she is not hurting herself by seldom coming off, just using fat put there for that purpose.

I'd check her for mites and lice, especially roost mites. Roost mites are scared of the dark and only come out at night, so check after dark. If she is broody roost mites are a danger.

both she and my silkie hen do not roost, they sleep on another part of the coop opposide the nesting box, but the frizzle has been sleeping in the nesting box..i have since removed her from the coop and put her in a dog cage elevated off the ground on my porch with feed and water only, i feel so sad to do this to her, but the eggs she wants to sit on are not fertile as i have no rooster in that coop....my main concern is what do i do with her tonight, where do i put the cage>>>to keep her protected

 

[Ridgerunner]

my main concern is what do i do with her tonight, where do i put the cage>>>to keep her protected

It sounds like your coop isn't big enough for that cage and you don't consider your run predator proof. That is an issue. I don't know what your options are, any other outbuildings or maybe in the garage? She will poop so at least but some cardboard, plastic, or similar under the cage for easy clean-up.

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

my main concern is what do i do with her tonight, where do i put the cage>>>to keep her protected

It sounds like your coop isn't big enough for that cage and you don't consider your run predator proof. That is an issue. I don't know what your options are, any other outbuildings or maybe in the garage? She will poop so at least but some cardboard, plastic, or similar under the cage for easy clean-up.

oh yes we have a big metal building i can put her in

 

[HAPPYCHICKENLADY17]

oh yes we have a big metal building i can put her in

i talked my hubby into getting a smaller cage and we fit it in the big coop just outside the roosting area, so she wont get pooped on raised it off the ground a put down a piece of lattice for her to walk on..i home she sleeps ok tonight