First timer with a broody silkie- she acting crazy !!! HELP!!!

[xoxomylaydees]

I want to first say thanks to everyone for the help the last few weeks with advice for my broody silkie. Lily. In the hopes she would come out of her brood on her own, its been 23days and I put her in a wire (lrg dog)kennel with nothing but food and water.
She has been pacing and clucking. Jumping up on the food and water dishes.... She seems stressed.
Question.... Should the kennel be away ..out of site of the other chicken? and Should I cover the kennel at nite? Like with a sheet or something? Im in oregon, not too cold yet but colder that 2 wks ago...Low 40's.
Thanks , Angela

 

[sunflour]

IMO, let her out and let nature run it's course. Broodiness is hormonally triggered and it will resolve itself. But most flock owners most often take the opposite stance in the threads I have read.

My experience is with broody BO's and they are wild and crazy when those hormones are flying. I did seriously consider trying broody breaking intervention once, but decided against it. I have seen mine go broody for only a couple of weeks up to almost 2 months. Unless the behavior is risking her health, it seems that she may suffer injuries by her own actions of being in the cage.

But, if you plan to continue with the cage, I think you need to keep her in sight of the flock and offer her weather protection. Visual separation will give you another major problem of reintroduction, best to avoid at all cost.

 

[xoxomylaydees]

Thank you for your response, I am trying to taylor what I do to what I think she needs. She doesnt have as server symtoms as some but is limiting herself to just the coop unless I push her out to eat. She stays out for about 15min -30, eating , dirt bath and scratching and grooming herself, but clearly wants nothing to do with the others. I let her out (from jail..lol)this morning and instead of going out with the others, free range time, she went for the coop and kept jumping into the side of it where the opening to the coop is....I put her back in the cage. She isnt as frantic rite now. I dont want to compromise her heath if she continues. example....When she shakes off the dirt from the bath, she almost falls over I know by reading the forum, every hen is different, Im new at this and I only want what is best for her

 

[DanEP]

If she has been broody for 23 days you will have to break her the wire cage is good and don't worry about her acting up. She will settle down , it just takes a while. during the day give her all the light you can just keep her in the dark for the night. the 2 things needed for breaking a broody are cool temps and light. I use a wire cage and keep them on saw horses in the garage for the night for safety and set her out in the sun for the day. In cooler weather 3 days usually long enough to break them. Just let her out and see how she acts, if she's still broody back in the cage she goes until she breaks. It will still be a while after you break her till she starts laying again.
Some broodys will just stop on their own but a truly broody girl may sit long enough to effect her health so I break them.

 

[donrae]

Pacing and clucking are good. Breaking a broody is stressful, there's no way around it. In her mind, she can't get to her babies, and that's going to be stressful. That said, a little stress doesn't hurt her at all. it's harder for the human to watch, and in a few days she'll be over it and not remember a thing about it. Stick it out for 3-5 days, until she's acting more normal and moving about in the kennel.

You can cover the kennel or not, she should be quite warm enough on her own. I've got 6 week chicks that got booted from the brooder to the grow-out pen who are doing fine in our temps.

 

[sunflour]

Told you, there would be other opines

Keep us updated, I really want to know how she does.

 

[xoxomylaydees]

In case anyone reads this, Update on my broody silkie.
After 21days, I put her in a wire large kennel/cage, all open and up on blocks with water and food. I covered the cage at nite with a sheet for her sanity and safety. Bottom of cage still off ground, air for cooling her. During the afternoon I let her out to free range with the others, and each day she acted more normal and went longer not wanting into coop. By the 4th day, she was normal . So whether she just ran the course or the kennel worked, IDK, but if it happens again,.... I will put her in the kennel first thing.
Thanks for reading