How to Break a Broody Hen

[millietime]

Thanks - I'll try the cleaning method next time. My Silkie took 6 days to break this time in a cage.

Let me know how it goes.. I'm very curious if it is just my girl that responds this way or if it actually works.

 

[bruceha2000]

The problem with my girl is she is feral all the signs point to broodiness no matter how much times i try to get her out of her nest she keeps going back she growls, peck at me her feathers all poofed up!!!.I can't catch her coz she is feral i don't have a wire cage to put her in i am seriously ready to give up... She's laying 1 egg per day whether or not she lays or not she spends hours on end in her nesting area and when i trying to collect her egg boy does she growls loud then pecks my hand as i try to remove her... Please help!!!!
Lila

You sure have a hard case there! Have you trained your birds to "chicken crack"? Black Oil Sunflower Seed (BOSS) and scratch are pretty much impossible for them to ignore. You might be able to get her into a more confined area where you can catch her.

so I stumbled upon a way of "broody breaking" that has worked better than the wire bottom cage or locking her out of the nests.

Worth a shot! If it is successful more often than not it sure would be easier and a lot faster than a buster box.

 

[cutiepie960]

Thanks for all the suggestions since my girl heather is feral she free ranges all day in the yard with my roo henry & at night she roosts up in the tree while the roo roosts in his coop...No matter how much i try to get her to roost in the coop with henry she refuses & found her roosting place in the tree... Thank god we don't have any predators....& no i haven't trained them to eat BOSS not sure if they have it here i need to check & they have been eating a gamecock food that looks like this not sure if its the right type of food coz i am new to having a girl chicken...Thanks Everyone
Lila

 

[Cogburn the Rooster]

The problem with my girl is she is feral all the signs point to broodiness no matter how much times i try to get her out of her nest she keeps going back she growls, peck at me her feathers all poofed up!!!.I can't catch her coz she is feral i don't have a wire cage to put her in i am seriously ready to give up... She's laying 1 egg per day whether or not she lays or not she spends hours on end in her nesting area and when i trying to collect her egg boy does she growls loud then pecks my hand as i try to remove her... Please help!!!!
Lla

You can build a box out of scrap wood and chicken wire. After you get that done put on a pair of heavy gloves and get her out of the nesting box. Before putting her in the "time out" box I would carry her away from that area and she if she calms down (my girl did). Make sure the box is off the ground and only contains food and water. Raise the box off the ground and place the wood chips or straw on the ground for easy clean up. Give her a couple days and see if she is broke. If not back to the penalty box!

 

[cutiepie960]

Thanks Cogburn the Rooster! Ok my girl heather hasn't laid 2 days in a row after laying 13 straight days following a 2 day break no egg then laying again for 2 days & yesterday & 2 day no egg very inconsistent maybe the HOT weather not sure.... However i do have some good news heather decided to snap out of her broodiness & decided to hang with the roo!!!... 2 days now broody free.. Question so will my heather start laying again??? Thanks
Lila

 

[featherhead007]

I wish my roosters would go broody, then maybe they would SHUT UP! They are loud, for Black White crested Polish! And I thought I bought hens when they were just chicks 1 day old.

 

[Chaerie]

Had a broody jersey giant hen, read about the bucket trick which I didn't really like the idea of. So I put a milk crate over her and sprayed hose water through the crate to try to lower her body temp, left her in there for an hour or so to dry off a bit, and let her go in the coop. Worked like a charm!

 

[dtabor]

I have a broody Buff Orpington, I have a small wire dog crate to put her in. Should she stay inside the coop or out in the enclosed/covered playground? Even though Ive done the best I can to seal the outside pen, Id be afraid she would face danger at night.

 

[bruceha2000]

She should stay in the coop. Best to be safe AND with the rest of the flock at night.

 

[shoetou]

I put mine in a cage with no nest boxes or any thing but food and water for a week that will do it for them . I call it chicken jail