Can I break a broody hen this way?

[rosemarythyme]

View attachment 2988453
The other girls are so interested in her food even tho it's the same!

That's normal, for that reason I try to put food and water for the broody against a wall where the others can't access (i.e. I'll put one wall up against the coop, and food and water go on that wall) as the others will steal it all if they can.

 

[ebisu]

That's normal, for that reason I try to put food and water for the broody against a wall where the others can't access (i.e. I'll put one wall up against the coop, and food and water go on that wall) as the others will steal it all if they can.

It's a good thing the girls can't reach in at all but I'll try that out!

 

[Wendy Bee]

View attachment 2988453
The other girls are so interested in her food even tho it's the same!

The red cup feeder is brilliant!

We have our first broody hen and she's made a real mess of her food, lol. I put cardboard in her 'private suite' (hate calling it chicken jail), but should I raise it instead for air flow? I can see where it would stay cleaner that way, too, with poops just going through the wire to below.

She's been very sweet - not mean broody, thankfully .

 

[rosemarythyme]

The red cup feeder is brilliant!

We have our first broody hen and she's made a real mess of her food, lol. I put cardboard in her 'private suite' (hate calling it chicken jail), but should I raise it instead for air flow? I can see where it would stay cleaner that way, too, with poops just going through the wire to below.

View attachment 3030317

She's been very sweet - not mean broody, thankfully .

She may break as-is (as I break my broodies right on the ground), but for the sake of reducing the mess I'd remove the cardboard.

I'd also invest in a feeder that could be hung or at least attached to the wall, to keep her from knocking food everywhere.

 

[ebisu]

The red cup feeder is brilliant!

We have our first broody hen and she's made a real mess of her food, lol. I put cardboard in her 'private suite' (hate calling it chicken jail), but should I raise it instead for air flow? I can see where it would stay cleaner that way, too, with poops just going through the wire to below.

View attachment 3030317

She's been very sweet - not mean broody, thankfully .

"Private Suite" so cute! This was my first broody and having it raised helped with poop especially since she's gonna stay in there for a few days (it really helped put into perspective how much they poop lol). With the cup, i had a string ducktaped to the cup and tied it to the wire so that she couldn't spill it no matter what. For the water, it's also duck taped to the overturned bowl. I might invest in a hamster water bottle to hang up next time.

Glad to hear she's been sweet hehe.

 

[jBabychickn]

I just let it go, but I would take her out of the box and gather the eggs everyday. There would be some fussing of course. After, about a week of this she snapped out of it. I have been successful with my last 2 in this manner.

@bill3607
Hi there! - I’ve got myself a broody Silkie!
This is my first flock, and now… my first broody. She’s only 7mos old too!

I have an Omlet coop & run, so I don’t have much room for breaking broodiness. The way the nesting area is set up, you can close it at night to keep them from sleeping in it.

Do you think if I continue with all that is normal? ~> Collecting eggs multiple times a day, closing-up the nesting area in the evening, and putting her “to bed/to roost” every night in their roosting area ~> That this will eventually cause her to break from her broodiness?


Thanks!!!

 

[bill3607]

@bill3607
Hi there! - I’ve got myself a broody Silkie!
This is my first flock, and now… my first broody. She’s only 7mos old too!

I have an Omlet coop & run, so I don’t have much room for breaking broodiness. The way the nesting area is set up, you can close it at night to keep them from sleeping in it.

Do you think if I continue with all that is normal? ~> Collecting eggs multiple times a day, closing-up the nesting area in the evening, and putting her “to bed/to roost” every night in their roosting area ~> That this will eventually cause her to break from her broodiness?


Thanks!!!

Hi! I would try taking her out of the nest and gather the eggs everyday, and like you said close the nesting to her at night.

It has worked for me the last few times. I take her off the nest, get the eggs, then take her and set her in front of the feed to get her to eat. I do not close off the nesting area, but that would maybe speed up the process for you. It usually takes me a week or so of doing that, but it has been working. Of course, I do not have any Silkies, so yours could be different, but a chicken is a chicken so maybe it will.

Good luck!

 

[Wendy Bee]

She may break as-is (as I break my broodies right on the ground), but for the sake of reducing the mess I'd remove the cardboard.

I'd also invest in a feeder that could be hung or at least attached to the wall, to keep her from knocking food everywhere.

"Private Suite" so cute! This was my first broody and having it raised helped with poop especially since she's gonna stay in there for a few days (it really helped put into perspective how much they poop lol). With the cup, i had a string ducktaped to the cup and tied it to the wire so that she couldn't spill it no matter what. For the water, it's also duck taped to the overturned bowl. I might invest in a hamster water bottle to hang up next time.

Glad to hear she's been sweet hehe.

Whew! Busy few weeks!

So . . . Little Miss Broody Pants was over herself in three days, right on cue. After reading posts here, I rearranged things a bit:

• I removed the cardboard and turned the crate upside down, because as noted by others, the wires are closer together and hen can walk on the wires. It also allows for airflow. I raised the crate on three 4x4s, which gave her something to rest her feet on, as well
• I duct taped a Solo cup to the inside of the crate for food. Actually, I stacked two; the taped one stays put, and the one inside the taped one can be removed to scoop more food if needed. Works great!

This week Little Miss Broody Pants the Second presented herself. I thought it might be the same hen (we have three Buff Orpingtons whose only differences are their combs), but it is a different hen.

So lickety-split, I set up the crate and got her squared away in her private suite in no time at all!

Here's a video of the set up. I did move the board closer to the feed cup after the video was made. Following the video is a pic of what I think is working to keep other chickens off the top of the crate (they were laying eggs on top of it last time . It looks complicated, but it is what it is, lol. Seemed to work today, despite the many tries by one of the Easter Eggers to get through that cardboard!

Thanks for the tips, all!