HELP (!!) breaking unexpected broody with limited resources

[Yay Chicks!]

Well, my BO, Buffy (of course), went broody. I had mistakenly thought that broodiness has been basically bred out of hatchery birds. Whoops.

I kicked her off the nest box this morning (she apparently slept in there last night) and gave her treats when she came down into the run. I took the golf balls out of the nest yesterday. I'm gathering eggs as soon as they lay...however, so far today there was only one...laid in the run by one of my EEs. I have a double nest box and they routinely go in there two, and sometimes three, at a time to lay. But of course, she is laying in the middle of the box, on NOTHING, and puffing her self up enormously when anything gets near her. I removed her again and set her in the run. She puffed up, looked stunned for a few minutes, and then walked back up the ramp.

So, I've read about broody cages etc, but I have a very small coup. It's just big enough for roosting and laying really. Absolutely no room for cages, even if I had one. So...

Do I just keep going out there to remove her from the box? I can block the box at night, I think. What if she has to lay an egg and I keep removing her, or will she just stop laying while she is doing this? What the heck does she think she is sitting on? There is nothing there!

Also, I can't get her fertile eggs to hatch as I live in an area where I am only allowed four birds.

Thanks for any creative assistance you can offer.

Edited to say I've removed her a couple of more times now. Prodded her. Tried to get her to eat and drink. Tried to lure her with dandelion greens. She just marches back up to the box! Arrgghh!

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Please excuse my impatience, but it's crazy out there. I kept taking her her out of the box and she keeps returning. My BR is screeching because she's too chicken (

) to go in there with Buffy to lay. Help?

 

[crazyhen]

You really need to keep her tummy cool. When you take her off put her in some water to cool her off. . It would really help if you had a place that you could put her that has a wire bottom in it soo she stays cool for 24 hrs or so. Good luck. Gloria jean

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Quote:
Thanks, Gloria jean. Unfortunately, I don't have such a cage...or anywhere to put it. What does the cooling off do? I'm glad to go out there with some ice cubes and rub them on her belly (that'll tick her off!) but I'm curious how that works.

 

[DanEP]

I just broke two broodys last week. the wire bottom cage did the trick for me,it doesn't need to be fancy just strong enough to keep her in. I didn't have a cage either so I just threw something together out of scrap material that was laying around and put them up on sawhorses in the garage. Three days of no bedding and a fan blowing uo their backsides did the trick. In cooler weather you might not need the fan but its been in the mid 90's every day so I used the fan,and for the record the garage door was open from dawn till dusk every day so the birds wouldn't cook. Just make sure that she has food and water
If a cage is out of the question I've heard of dunking them in water to cool them down but have never tried it. You might want to do a search and see if you can get more info.

Dan

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Thanks, Dan. I don't want to be a "yea, but..." person, but unfortunately I have no cage, no scrap metal, no sawhorses, no saws to build sawhorses, and no garage. I'm heading out there with some ice water.
ddawn broke hers without the cage, but it took her weeks of pulling the hen out of the box, prodding her to eat. I can't be home 24/7 for weeks.
I know that there is no easy answer to this with the limited resources I have. I was totally unprepared for this. Live and learn...

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Okay, I'm off to buy a wire cage. None available on Craig's List in my area, unfortunately. I found something I think I can prop it up on. Is it okay to have the cage in the run with the other girls during the day? I hope I can squeeze it into the coop at night. Is that alright as well? Or do I need to put her elsewhere? Does she need to be isolated if she is in the cage and up off the ground?

 

[cafarmgirl]

Ok, this might be a dumb question and maybe the way I do it is considered wrong, but - why do you need to break her broodiness at all? I have a buff orp hen who goes broody 2 or 3 times a year, she's my only one that does. I pick up eggs every day but otherwise I let her sit and do her thing. It lasts a week or so and then one day she's back to her normal self again. She comes out in the mornings to eat and drink, if she doesn't I take her out. Otherwise I just leave her be until she get's over it and this has meant a lot less stress over all of it for her and me both!

 

[crazyhen]

First I have heard of hens whose broody instinct was so strong they do not eat or drink properly and can die. In this heat it is possible. I had a hen who was broody for over two months with me dragging her off the nest daily.

I was new to this and did not know about the water treatment. Second, A hens body temp rises to incubate the eggs. If she is kept cool for some reason it will break the boodyiness. You do not have to isolate, meanning keeping her out of site, but do have to not let her have any nest material, like shavings or hay or a solid floor. I hope this helps. If this does not help and she continues you can feed her extra protein till it stops. I use a couple of tablespoons of tuna in water daily.

Gloria Jean

 

[Yay Chicks!]

Oh well, I'm home with a small rabbit cage anyway. I guess maybe it will come in handy if I have to isolate for injury or whatever (knock on wood). I had to buy a tool I didn't have to put it together also.

Luckily, we have had coolish temps here. Today and tomorrow will be mid 80s, but it's been cloudy off and on and in the low 70s lately. I will keep icing her belly, and try the cage. After everyone stopped laying today, I closed off the coop so she can't go into the box. I saw her take a little water, which she had refused to do earlier in the day.