How to Break a Broody Hen

[bruceha2000]

Hi, I've recently had a broody hen, and as we dont really want any more, I looked for tips on here to break her broodiness. The first thing I tried was the dog crate, elevated on housebricks in garage for 2/3 days. This worked great but 4 weeks later the same hen has gone broody again, but still laying, although the eggs are smaller. So when I read this other tip, I thought I would give it a go.After the hens had laid I placed a hot water bottle full with frozen water(ice) that I had kept in the freezer overnight, into the nest under the straw.She sat on it reluctantly but after about 3 hours she rejoined her mates and so far all is well.

Clearly a rookie broody!

I had one that melted 2 freezer packs in one day and STILL wouldn't get off the nest.

 

[NurseChicky]

Please forgive me if this has already been addressed, but what if you have more than one broody hen? I only have one cage, but 3 broody girls. Can I put them all in the same cage? It is big enough.

 

[appps]

I've put two broody's together in a fairly large area okay but they would not have been okay in a smaller one. Broody's tend to be in a super bad mood so depends a bit who you want to put together and if you are putting a lower on the pecking order with a higher who will take offence at it growling at her instead of keeping to its lowly place in the hierarchy.

When I have two won't go well together I just tackle them one at a time starting with the least determined one.

 

[nessili]

We have a 15-month old Silkie hen (Marsha--short for Marshmallow Fluff) that was given to us in July. Since then, she has gone broody at the beginning of August, beginning of September, and is once more broody (it's the beginning of October). The other two times we broke her using the broody box--an old wire dog crate with hardware cloth across the bottom, elevated off the ground to let air flow freely (in the warmer months we even had a fan blowing across the bottom). When we let her out, she runs to go eat and scratch with the other hens, is healthy and active and talkative, but within 15-20 minutes, she freaks out and makes a run for "her" nesting box. ("Omigosh! My imaginary eggs! I've got to get back to them!")

The first time it took only about 4 days for her to snap out of it. September's broody spell took nearly a week to break. September 29th rolled along and she was again in a nesting box all day/night long. We put her in the broody box on 10/1. Then yesterday (10/3) she laid an egg in the broody box, which shocked the tar out of me: we didn't think broody hens laid eggs. However, that's the only explanation, unless one of our pullets snuck in there when we let Marsha out for a bit of a scratch, laid their first egg, and snuck back out without a peep.

We're loathe to keep Marsha in there a week out of every month (since she seems to go broody like clockwork), especially with the weather turning much colder and Silkies not being able to keep warm as well as the other chickens do. So we decided that, since she's not a great egg layer to begin with, we'd just let her stay in the nesting box (we have 4 other boxes available and only 1 other laying hen at this point). I mean, why stress the poor bird out? However, I read this morning that it's not healthy to let a hen stay broody if she's not actually hatching eggs, that it takes too much of a toll on her physically.

We considered getting her some eggs to hatch, but we already have 12 chickens in our flock and a smallish coop--we really don't need or want more at this point. Then I considered letting Marsha hatch eggs for other flock-keepers who didn't have a reliably broody hen, but I was told that that's not really safe--there could be health issues with eggs brought in from other local flocks--and winter's also just a month or so away. That's probably _not_ the best time to be raising chicks

My next plan is to try the ice packs underneath her, but I'm afraid she'll just move to another nesting box. Once they've chosen a box to brood in, will hens willingly move?

Are there any other suggestions for keeping Little Miss Broody-Britches from living in a nesting box all winter? (other than the "dunk your hen in ice water" idea--I refuse to try that). This is our first flock, so we're still very much on a learning curve

(And there are so many broody hen threads that I wasn't sure where to post this, but this looked like a good spot. If I need to move my post let me know, please--this is my first time participating here )




Our Flock
The Hens:
Marshmallow Fluff (white Silkie)
Feta (white bantam Cochin)

The Younglings (born 6/16/14):
Yekatarina, Raisa, Tatiana, Natalia (Red Stars)
Anne, Elizabeth, Mary, Victoria (Speckled Sussex)
Pepper (Silver-laced standard Cochin)
Ginger (Partridge standard Cochin)

 

[Coopnana]

Welcome to my world I am trying to break two silkie pullets. We put a couple of eggs early on that were fertile and ready to hatch w/in a couple of days. Then i was going to give back to my daughter-in-law to put back w her silkie hen and chicks she was hatching. The two kept getting up and leaving them when it was near hatch. Finally a pipped egg and i heard cheeping. Then came home at lunch...both were sitting on nothing w/ the two cold eggs between them. I hurried and got an incubator warmed up and we hatched one chick and put back w/ daughter-in-laws flock. The other egg didn't make it.

Now the two continue to sit. I pull them out of their hen house put them with the others. They eat and drink and go back to their hen house. So i've put a red light in there that stays on all night to keep it from being dark..to try and break them. That hasn't worked. I've tried closing their door to their house and they freak out by it wanting back in. I worry about the older hens (much larger and mixed flock) going after them while doing this.

Then i fixed up a dog crate lined w/ mosquito netting and on blocks. Put them both in. Went out a few hours later...one had escaped out the bottom back to her hen house. So then i secured a mosuito net bottom along w/ a plastic net bottom to the cage and put them both in again. They can still stick their heads out the side of the dog crate and so I worry that one will break their neck.

Today I bought a rabbit cage...it has small wires than dog crate. It is also up on blocks and secured in place. There are two broodies and another silkie that kept wanting to be with them in the pen. I'm going to leave them out for the night (I did cover w/ blanket for the night in case they get cold). no nesting material, but water and food.

Fingers crossed. Not sure what I will try next.

 

[nessili]

UPDATE: I ended up making a very, very small portable broody box (about a 15" cube). During the day, the Silkie was in the outside box with food and water. At night, I put her in the small box with just a roosting pole. I'd let her out with the others in the morning. If she was back in a nesting box when I came out to check on them later, back into the outside broody box she went. Took about 3 days of that routine before she broke. One night I came home after dark, took her out of the outside box, and placed her on her roosting pole in the coop. If she'd still been broody, she would have hopped right off and headed straight to a nesting box. That night she just hunkered down and went back to sleep. She's been fine since then. Actually laid an egg yesterday

My 9 year old daughter, the one who desperately wanted a Silkie in the first place, announced to me the other day that she did not want any more Silkies, because they were just too much of a pain to deal with. I have to say, I agree whole-heartedly.

 

[StephanieC]

I have my broody Buff Orpington in a dog crate, just started this morning. I have the plastic floor in it until tomorrow, when I will get some wire mesh to put down on the floor.

My question is, can I return her to the coop at night? The coop has a wire mesh floor in the roosting area, and the roost bar, and with the access ladder up there is no access to the nesting boxes downstairs,

I did that last night, when I realized she had never gone upstairs, was still in a nesting box, and I realized what I was dealing with.

I tried her with the flock in the late afternoon today, when they get mealworms, and after she devoured the mealworms she raced for the coop nesting boxes. I managed to beat her to the door and slammed it shut, then she began frantically circling the coop, desperate to get in. She was chasing off her flock mates, and pecking anyone near the coop, and I don't want anyone getting hurt in the coop at night. But I figured it ought to be ok for sleeping, and will cool her off more than in the dog crate,as it is currently set up.

What do you all think?

Also, is it ok to have a roosting bar in the dog crate?

 

[nina1marc2]

Need help! I have a Broody hen who has pushed our three others out of the nesting box during the day. She is a silkie mix and is still laying eggs daily. She has not skipped a day in over a week so until I saw her (while I locked them up in the coop at night) laying on her nest instead of her perch with the other girls I knew she is broody. She won't let the others lay their eggs inside the nest. I thought something was off when I was only finding my broody girls egg in the box and no others. I shut the nesting box up and only allowed access to the coops outside run and their yard so they could eat and drink. My silkie went and hid under the nesting box and stayed there. I thought this was weird so I went out and got her out. Come to find out all my other three hens laid their eggs in a dirt pile they made and I found two days of eggs because my broody girl won't let them in.

I have a easter egger that I broke being broody before by just pulling her out of the nest a few times a day for a few days. This silkie isn't falling for this trick. What can I do?

I do have a dog kennel I use for vet visits. Can that be used for a broody box?

 

[CHICKENRANCH14]

I too have a broody Silkie also. She started 2 days ago. Just before her my silver laced cochin who started laying over a month ago went broody. I remove them from the coop entirely. I have a large dog pen underneath a shady tree with tarps for in case of rain, I put them both in there no straw, just food, water and a roosting bar. My cochin broke her habit in 2 days. However little miss bluebell is being feisty, so we will see who wins this battle. I let her out to free range in later eve with the other girls, and when I am ready to put up in coop for the night, she goes back into isolation. She will catch on. Depending on how big your dog kennel is, I don't know how many would fit in and not be crowded so all they do is sit. I am sure someone much smarter then me has a better answer. I have only been in the delightful business for 3 yrs.

 

[StephanieC]

I am no expert but I just went through this and I can tell you what worked for me. It took five days to break my Orpington put of the mood.

I used a wire dog crate that has casters so it is off the ground. I took out the tray and put hardware cloth on the bottom instead. I gave her a 2x4 to roost on, and food and water, and there she stayed. Each morning I would try her out back with the flock. If she went for the nest, back in the dog crate she went.

After three days I was losing patience, so I filled up a bucket from the hose and dunked her, four minutes with her lower half submerged. She didn't seem to care in the least, didn't struggle or do anything but sit quietly as I held her in the water. I did this once on day three, once on day four, and again on day five.

By day six, she was back with the flock showing absolutely no interest in the nest boxes. And back to her usual self.

Whatever you do, the main thing is to cool off her underside and give her nowhere to nest.