How to best break a broody hen?

[Jewelmb]

So I have a lavender Americauna , who has gone broody. She is sitting on unfertilized eggs as we haven’t got a rooster. I am trying to just remove her from the nesting box periodically during the day so that she can get food and water, as she will sit, even after there are no eggs, as we’ve been removing them immediately. Yesterday when I removed her from the nesting box, our buff Orpington (who I believe is top of the order) and our silver Leghorn (who is a bit of a bully with a Napoleon’s complex) started to pick on her. Now I’m not sure what to do. Should I separate her in a crate? Any other suggestions? In the 10 years that we’ve been keeping chickens this is our first broody hen.

 

[Debbie292d]

If you search BYC, there's many articles on various ways to do it, but here's what I do since I deal with it on a weekly basis, (silkies).

Every morning, whoever decides they want to be broody gets hauled off to broody jail. At dusk, they are released to go to the coop for the night. The next morning, repeat. It takes anywhere from two to four days for them to be broke and leave the coop in the morning.

Our broody jail is a pet pen with the bottom out of it and set in our gravel driveway. It's got a feeder and waterer in there, but nothing else, but gravel. I throw a tarp over it if it rains or if it needs shade. In hotter months, I'll pull it over to the shade.

 

[aart]

Should I separate her in a crate?

That's what I do. Crate stays in the coop.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

 

[Jewelmb]

If you search BYC, there's many articles on various ways to do it, but here's what I do since I deal with it on a weekly basis, (silkies).

Every morning, whoever decides they want to be broody gets hauled off to broody jail. At dusk, they are released to go to the coop for the night. The next morning, repeat. It takes anywhere from two to four days for them to be broke and leave the coop in the morning.

Our broody jail is a pet pen with the bottom out of it and set in our gravel driveway. It's got a feeder and waterer in there, but nothing else, but gravel. I throw a tarp over it if it rains or if it needs shade. In hotter months, I'll pull it over to the shade.

View attachment 3852817

Thank you this is so helpful! I’ve been doing a lot of reading about broodiness and it was overwhelming me.
I’ve heard that Silkies tend to go broody but are so worth it, lol!

 

[crazy chicken ladies]

If you search BYC, there's many articles on various ways to do it, but here's what I do since I deal with it on a weekly basis, (silkies).

Every morning, whoever decides they want to be broody gets hauled off to broody jail. At dusk, they are released to go to the coop for the night. The next morning, repeat. It takes anywhere from two to four days for them to be broke and leave the coop in the morning.

Our broody jail is a pet pen with the bottom out of it and set in our gravel driveway. It's got a feeder and waterer in there, but nothing else, but gravel. I throw a tarp over it if it rains or if it needs shade. In hotter months, I'll pull it over to the shade.

View attachment 3852817

I have a hen that has been staying on the unfertilized eggs, and then staying in the empty nesting box after the eggs are removed. I like your advice and plan to start trying something similar in the morning.

 

[Pigeony]

If you'd like to take advantage of your hen being broody, you also could "break" her desire to nest by actually giving her chicks. A hen that's really determined to be broody will often accept and raise feedstore chicks if you slip them under her while she's sleeping at night. Just a thought, might not be something you're interested in.

I say this because I had two hens go broody a couple weeks ago and also don't currently have a rooster. They happen to be my most stubborn hens, so I decided to give it a try myself. They both accepted the babies I gave them and have been dedicated mothers since.

 

[crazy chicken ladies]

If you'd like to take advantage of your hen being broody, you also could "break" her desire to nest by actually giving her chicks. A hen that's really determined to be broody will often accept and raise feedstore chicks if you slip them under her while she's sleeping at night. Just a thought, might not be something you're interested in.

I say this because I had two hens go broody a couple weeks ago and also don't currently have a rooster. They happen to be my most stubborn hens, so I decided to give it a try myself. They both accepted the babies I gave them and have been dedicated mothers since.

Thanks for the suggestion. I have heard that that can sometimes help. I'd like to have more chick's, but...my sister (and, the home owner) says no, lol. We do have 3 roosters, who happen to be quite interested, but they are Bantams and quite mean.