Help with Broody Hen

[lcourtneymom]

I am a first time chicken owner. We have six hens who are about eight months. They have been laying since the end of July. One of them has become broody.
I’ve looked up lots of information and we keep removing her from the laying box. But she goes right back. We blocked off the one laying box that she was staying in. Now she’s chosen a different one.
For awhile we were closing the coop during the day. But it’s gotten cold here and I want them to be able to go in there. The other hens aren’t laying nearly as much either-probably because they typically lay during the day and the coop has been closed or that box blocked.
Is there anything else we can try?
Thanks!

 

[sourland]

Lock her in a cage/pen so that she can not access the nest site to break her broodiness.

 

[aart]

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[Fallenone05]

If your daylight hours have been short, birds slow down with laying during the winter months. Next year they'll have their first molt anytime between September and December - they'll stop laying and drop feathers by the handful.

To break your broody, put her in a cage that has a wire floor so the air can cool off her undersides. Keeping her from the nest at night will especially help.