HELP !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Break my broody hen

[cluckindood]

P.s. By crate I mean a milk crate and she has been serving time in the bathtub for about 6 days now.

 

[soukilee93]

I have a broody lorp for the past three weeks and I have tried everything but she still doesn't want to break. She is currently serving time in our bath tub with food and water as well as a crate that she constantly roosts on. I was hoping the crate would help ventilate her belly and cool her down. I was wondering if I should keep her here even at night? I put her in the coop at night mainly so my roommates get a chance to shower haha but of course she kicks the two other hens out of the coop and then frantically gets comfy again in the nest box. I am really worried about her because she has lost significant weight and I really want her to be healthy again for her own sake. Plus she is also driving me CRAZY!!! my question to anyone that has an answer is that should I 1.) keep her day and night in her broody time-out or 2.) I've heard that some people just give their broody hen a chick and that can stop it. I almost want to try and give her a chick to raise but I'm worried that she would kill it. any suggestions or advice on any of this would be awesome because none of my three hens are laying due to this one's broodiness!
thanks!
cluckindood

First thing, unfortunately, yes you would need to keep her in day and night. When she gets to go back in at night she gets to keep that belly warm. Secondly, if you want to try giving her a chick, I would highly recommend first placing an egg under her and then at night when it is nice and dark for her, swap the egg out for the chick. You would need to keep a close eye on her to make sure she does not try to injure or kill the chick. And I would recommend more than one chick, maybe two. Regardless, you are going to have to keep her separate from your other hens. Do you have a dog crate that you might be able to put her in within the coop so that she would have her own area?

Once she has that chick, it will not break the broody, she will go into mothering mode. She will not lay an egg until she has finished her duty. I had a Splash Marans that hatched last year go broody twice this year on me. Ugh!!! I gave her eggs the first go around. Second go around I kept irritating her until my rooster finally broke her of her broodiness last week and she has not yet resumed egg laying. It took her about 2 weeks after taking her last chick away on the last go around, so I am hoping soon to have her laying again. I am not sure if it was all the chicks around here that we have been hatching or what that caused her to go broody a second time. I have had a Wheaton Ameraucana, my Splash Marans and a Silkie go broody this year. The Silkie just started laying and laid 7 eggs and wanted to set then gave up on them after a day. She has since gone broody again and has eggs due to hatch around the 17th. My frizzle cochin just started laying recently as well and keeps trying to add to her clutch.

 

[five is my dog]

soak her in cold water twice daily.