I have a pekin chicken around a year old. She has gone broody on me. I have tried everything to break her. I have wet her, even given her a bath. Kept her in the house for a couple of hours. Cooled her underside down as she has pulled her feathers out. I have taken all the eggs away what else can I try?? How long do they stay broody for?? I keep moving her off the nest and she eats and gets a drink and I swear she waits for me to leave then jumps back in her nest. I would shut the door but my other chickens gets upset if I do that. She even bundles the hay in a ball shape to sit on. Is it possible to stop this Or am I wasting my time?? Thanks
The only way i have ever had work is completely isolate her from the nest, either lock her up or lock the nest up. If you she keeps getting access she won't stop until something hatches, she dies, or gives up after months. Being isolated from the nest she will stop anywhere from a day later to a week at most by my experience.
I had a broody sumatra all summer. I let her hatch 9 chicks in the spring. As soon as they left her side she was broody again. I didn't let her have any eggs this time, but the others would kick her off the nest to lay their eggs. She kept everything warm and safe until I collected them. I tried carrying her around with me, closing her out of the coop, etc. Nothing worked. Then I decided to move the nest boxes to make more space. She didn't like that one bit and hasn't been broody since.
While caging is probably the best solution, I didn't have that option readily available. So I kept my broody out of the coop/pen all day. A couple hours won't do it. From dawn to dusk she was in the yard (with access to food and water) by herself. At night she was back in the coop, but I covered up the nesting box. It took only two full days, and the broodiness was broken. Good luck.
excellent thank you very much I am going to remove nest boxes and place her well away from them and not let her near her cage for a full day. I hope this works Thanks again.