How to Break a Broody Hen

[galanie]

Update on unbreakable hen. I let her have the babies 8 weeks ago, she weaned them at 5 weeks, started laying briefly and is back to being broody again
As I've said before, were she a good mom, I'd have been thrilled. But she's not. I have to put eggs in the incubator for her to hatch or she'll leave the nest 1 to 2 hours a day and let them die. Crud. But I suppose I got a week or two of laying out of her. Maybe next year, when she's older, she won't go broody as much. I hope!
At least she doesn't kill the chicks. So long as I introduce them at night an there is no disabled ones.

So here it is 3 weeks later. This time I just let this girl set. Didn't do a thing. Took 4 weeks but now she's up again.

 

[Skydive Chicken]

I broke my broodies too with this method. Thankyou! But now I was away for a few days and one bantam went broody under a shedd we have with a stockpile of eggs. We have no roosters due to where we live, but the Head Chicken in charge seems to mount them regularly and simulate the rooster behavior even though she is also laying eggs. Should I just take the little one's eggs all away and put her in the broody cage? I feel bad for her as its 110 every day here in AZ and its nice and cool under the shedd where she is. All the others go under the shedd duing the hottest part of the day and chill out, but then are out and about pecking in the grass and plants the rest of the morning and evening. She has not emerged at all in about 6 days. I put water and food by her but she bites if you try to move her. She's small so it doesn't hurt
This little girl's hatchmate got killed by an out of control dog about 3 months ago and she keeps going broody all the time ever since. Before that she never brooded, just roamed around with her twin.

 

[galanie]

If it's that hot, I'd leave her in the coolest place possible. If brooding under the shed is the coolest place, leave her be. She'll eventually get up anyway. Being out of the heat right now is much more important than whether she's broody or not.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Quote: It's 24 hours a day for several days until the broody mood has broken. No bedding, just wire bottom & a roost. Something about getting the airflow up under the breast that helps return them to their regularly scheduled programming.

 

[steve1423]

I am a new hen owner and one of my hens went broody she was in a wire cage for a night and I tried to dipping method into water and I let her out today to see what would happen and she went right back to the nesting box after like an hour of being "free" so I am testing the wire cage method for atleast three days.... But now I have another broody hen can both of them go into the same cage? With the second one I took her out of the coop to roam the yard and just closed the coop so she cant get back in.... I was just gonna do that for a day or two to see if that would help then put her back in at night. So I guess my question is will two broodys in one wire cage work? Thanks to all who helps.

 

[galanie]

Your mistake was to let her out of the cage. You leave them in it 24/7 for around 3 days, don't let them out.

As to whether they can share a cage, that just depends on how well they get along. Put them both in and watch them.

 

[devora]

So I guess my question is will two broodys in one wire cage work?

I've done this a few Xs. It's fine, as stated by galanie, if they get along.

If they don't get along it can be like a cage match.

 

[Noraiscrazy]

One of my hens has been broody all summer... Like a little more than 2 months now. The other chickens have stopped laying in their laying area because of her and they attack her whenever she comes out to get food. She has been the lowest ranked chicken since they were all chicks.By now it almost seems that she is just hiding from them. She still does have broody tendencies like puffing up and screaching when I take her out of her coop, but she is not as protective as she was before. The red area on her face has faded to pink and it has many scabs and blood from the other hens. Here is a photo:


I don't have a wire cage to do this method in... Is it really worth buying a new one? I am in Texas so it is usually around 100F in the summer. I have tried water and locking her out of her coop.
Do you think it is worth waiting it out or even finding her a single chicken home where she won't get pecked?

 

[carolinasculpture]

Hi! I had a BO go broody. I know, big surprise, huh? Anyway, she was determined! If she was taken out of the nest box, she stayed in that broody position even if placed on her back. I tried EVERYTHING in this post to break her. She was broody for about 2 1/2 months and had endured 7 days and nights in the broody buster in light, 7 days in a broody buster in the dark, dunks in cold water, ice packs in the nest box, bodily being removed from her nest, closing up her nest box, and every combination of the others I could think of and nothing worked. Finally I gave up because she was getting thin in spite of having food and water in the box with her, and got a few fertile eggs from a friend. She happily sat on them for around 10 days and then a snake came into the coop and ate her eggs. The next day she was cured! Anyone have an egg eating snake they can rent out? I just hope she doesn't start right back up again! She hasn't started laying yet, but has only been out for a week.

 

[steve1423]

Tonight when I left my house for three hours and came back home my parents didn't listen to what I said and took mine out of the broody buster... But they closed the coop door does this mean she has to restart her broody time from day 1? Or can tonight count as night 2?