How to Break a Broody Hen

[galanie]

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?

She needs to be separated and protected from the others no matter if you put her in a cage or whatever. If she's been broody for 2 months she'll likely break soon on her own. I too live in Texas and her welfare is more important than whether she's broody or not.

 

[galanie]

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?

The chicken will let you know. Just pretend it's day 2. Some break in 2 days, some in 4 days. So don't sweat it. They aren't all on the exact same clock anyway.

 

[steve1423]

We let my broody girl out today because her comb thingy was turning pale.... and shut the door on the coop but something must be wrong with her to now!?

 

[galanie]

Their combs get pale because they aren't eating enough, usually they don't eat much when they're broody. Perfectly normal.

 

[simone jone]

I have a silkie hen. shes a year about and wiil not get of her eggs .she had smothered her first set and i took the others AWAY..well i went to check on her i thought she was dead she was laying odd. she had he head so far under i think its stuck and she was doing flips to un roll. very odd .and the rooster sits on her.i going to have to get her out of there. could not do it today. had a dog come around and pester me as i was tring to see if she could work her neck back up.gave her food and water ahe eat but didnt realy drink. i had to sling her back in the same cage .the dog stole my other chicken. last time they were out to feed. need help. i hate to take her eggs but i think i will have to last ones wont be ready till 3 weeks. ; (

 

[pirieuk]

Having read your post and numerous responses, I have managed to aquire a large birdcage which I have placed on legs in their run.
My broody hen is quite young (maybe 7 months) she did start laying at 5 months but now she sits in the nest box at night, and if she gets her way, she will stay there all day.
Sometimes she rushes from the house first thing in the morning to eat and drink, but not often.
If I take her out and close the hen house door (once the others have all layed), she is more than happy to potter with the girls all day.
Should I still leave her in the cage all day for a few days or continue to close the house and let her out during the day, putting her in at night.
If I am leaving her in, do I cover the cage at night only, day and night or not at all?

Thankyou

 

[Pullet Surprise]

I take mine out after the others have laid and I can close the pop door..,that way she can do chicken things and I THINK (I don't KNOW) but it seems to get her mind off the nest faster than if she's just in the Broody Buster pacing all day . I put her back in for the night when the others go in to sleep.

 

[galanie]

Having read your post and numerous responses, I have managed to aquire a large birdcage which I have placed on legs in their run.
My broody hen is quite young (maybe 7 months) she did start laying at 5 months but now she sits in the nest box at night, and if she gets her way, she will stay there all day.
Sometimes she rushes from the house first thing in the morning to eat and drink, but not often.
If I take her out and close the hen house door (once the others have all layed), she is more than happy to potter with the girls all day.
Should I still leave her in the cage all day for a few days or continue to close the house and let her out during the day, putting her in at night.
If I am leaving her in, do I cover the cage at night only, day and night or not at all?

Thankyou

Not sure why you'd cover the cage at all. But when she's out, does she really potter around all day, or just for an hour then find somewehre to sit? If she's more than happy to indeed stay up and about all day, then she's not solidly broody and might be broken just by doing what you're doing. Some are easy to break that way.

 

[JoyfulPromise]

I was so happy to find this thread, because I was getting sick of just throwing our extra broodies out 20+ times a day! We actually had two hens (a Barred Rock and a Delaware) go broody in the middle of the 90's heat wave in late July/August! The Delaware finally gave it up, but the Barred Rock stuck it out for nearly 2 months!

Anyway, right now we have a BO hen that has gone broody for the SECOND time this year - she went broody in April (the "right" time of year) and we let her hatch out a clutch of 11 eggs - 7 Americaunas for my SIL, and 4 Buff/Delaware crosses. All 11 hatched, and she was a good mom to the 4 Buff/Delawares (we gave the Americauna chicks to my SIL right away) for about 4 weeks before ignoring them. But this week she has just gone broody AGAIN, and is very persistent about it, despite my telling her that once a year was enough!

SO, not having a suitable dog cage or bird cage, yesterday I made up a broody buster cage for her out of those wire storage cube pieces. It is 2x2 panels square and 1 panel high (I think that makes it about 29"x29" & 14" high). I gave her food and water and a small extra piece of deck lattice for shade. Right now it is just on the grass in the backyard near the main coop, but will the wire panels between her and the ground be enough, or do I need to raise it up on cement blocks or something so there is air flow underneath? I am hoping to get her over this second broodiness soon, because she is one of our best layers (according to the recent 5 day egg-watch that I did)

.

 

[wcntygl]

I have a BO that has been broody for almost 2 months now. She is not allowed to sit on eggs as soon as we see them we take them. We make her get out of the coop daily, but she just returns and sits on no eggs. I don't have access to a rabbit cage or anything that has a wire bottom. I do have an old dog cage that has a wood floor and plenty of light, i currently use it to quarantine the new chicks. What else can I use to stop the broodiness. I am afraid if she does not break soon she will have health issues. any suggestion would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.