HELP!!!...what do i do with this broody hen!!!??????

[Sunny Side Up]

The most effective Broody Buster cages have no bedding at all and a wire bottom, set up on blocks or sawhorses, to allow for maximum airflow up under their bottoms. This may still help, though, by providing extra light and a change of scenery for your hen.

Some hens are more determined to be broody, others more easily discouraged & re-directed. This thread has a lot of info on Broody Busting https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/181289/how-to-break-a-broody-hen

 

[jallny]

i am soo glad i could help. Milly is a beautiful hen. i hope you and Milly have a long time together. if anyone else needs help with broodys just send me a pm. i am glad to help everyone!!!!!!

 

[ScotianChick]

Broodies are such a pain! I'm actually going to be culling one in the next couple days. SLWs (and most likely gold ones as well) are semi-broody but I have one that is broody a million times more than the others. We're talking five times last year and once this year AND she just went broody AGAIN today. I can't handle it anymore. This one is a nasty old thing too when she's broody. She broods more than she lays so she is out of here.

I can't let my flock get out of control so usually I break them. Toss them out of the nest, cool them down, annoy the crap out of them haha.

 

[deltachix]

Having the same issue with my buff orpington. She has been broody for the last few days. Is it a coincidence that she started doing this right after we clipped her wings? Also - do I need to bring her out of the nest to eat and drink or will she get enough for herself? Thanks in advance!

 

[jallny]

she will get up on her own. she will wait till no one is around, and will not take more than a few minutes.

 

[bufforphington]

if that didn't work my friend said something about taking the ckicken and dumping it's bum in a bucket of cold water for a couple of minutes
(not intirerely sure)

 

[goldies99]

well...i thought i was out of the woods.....i tried the water bucket....and putting her in a different cage up in the air...but i didnt know about it being wire bottom on no bedding...that might be the trick...but i gave up on this determined hen, and i got her some eggs to hatch!....this will be the first time ever doing this...and it might be great fun to hatch some chicks!....(i sure hope they hatch!)...any tips on what comes next now????....geeezzzzz

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Now let's hope your hen has enough broody skills to complete the job with excellence. She should be fine left to set in that same cage in which you tried to bust her broody mood. Keep it in a covered quiet spot, provide food & water. She should know enough to get up once every day or two to eat/drink/poop. Her poops should be big & firm & smelly, looking more like a dog's than a chicken's. If she's making runny poops in the nest she may benefit from a bit of ACV in her water and/or some yogurt to eat. If her condition seems poor you may need to make her get off the nest once a day. But if you see a nice big broody poop fresh in the cage every 1-2 days, and her eyes are bright and she has energy to growl & peck at you when you approach, leave her alone.

On day 20 or 21 her eggs will hatch and she'll stay on the nest for about 24-36 hours. Let's hope she's a good Mama who won't try to hurt her chicks (most behave well). The next day she'll be ready to leave the nest and any remaining unhatched eggs, and begin mothering her chicks. She'll want a protected cage/pen for the first few weeks, then she can begin to be re-integrated into the flock.

 

[goldies99]

ok....feeling stupid...i had to look up...AVC to find out what it was!...i do usually put vingar in the chicken water!....i didnt have any in hers, but i will now...also...what kind of yogurt??,,,,,just any plaikind??...do i mix it in her food..or just put it in a bowl??....she did have a big poop yesterday...(runny though)......does that mean she isnt healthy??.....i have to take her off the nest morning and
evening to eat and drink.....i dont think she does it on her own...she just sits on the eggs!....also..on day 20-21...shoudl i NOT take her out of the box to eat and drink??.....when the chicks hatch, do i just leave her and the chicks in that cage you saw her in?...or will i need a different one??..thanks for all your help "sunny side"......this is all new for me!!!

 

[Yiannisk]

Just leave her alone she knows better what to do
read what happen to me a month ago https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/660798/broody-hen-question