How to break a broody???

[Chicken Chicken Love]

Sooo..... My 7-month old buff Orpington girl has gone broody and she is stubborn. I can't give her eggs so, How do I break her?
Thank you in advance!

 

[sourland]

Deny her access to her nest site. Some use a suspended wire cage. A separate pen will also work.

 

[ChickenGirl555]

One strategy that has worked for me was giving her a cold bath or just having her sit in cold water (not too cold of course!) for a minute or two, and once she dries she's usually broken. But I understand it might be getting colder outside, so be cautious.

 

[aart]

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

In my experience, the only thing that worked is letting her have chicks or using @aart’s method. It’s also the fasted “over and done with” method. Good luck!

 

[Panhandler80]

Had my first one go broody about a week ago. I elected to put her in a dog crate (a little bigger than the one pictured above) last Saturday am. She had her own food and water. The crate was in a shaded spot in the run and near where the rest of the flock spends a lot of it's day. I kept her there for three days straight. Let her our yesterday am. Got home yesterday and she was in the run with the flock. Also checked after dark last night and she was roosted with the rest of them.

Are there other ways that are perhaps more gentle? Perhaps. However, I didn't want to mess around with every option under the sun and then still have to box her up. I elected to just go straight to the best method and be done with it. By the same logic, I said forget giving her one day and checking... if no success, then two days and checking... if no success then three days and checking. If it's a really stubborn bird, that could be up to 6 days in the Cage of Shame, and perhaps another 3-4 days on the front end with cold dips, walks about the yard, nesting box removal / roosting bar placement, etc.

3 days did the trick and going forward that's where the next one will go as soon as broody is confirmed.

 

[JimOwens]

So, do you leave her in the “crate of shame” all day? How often do you let her out, & for how long? At night too, or just during daytime? One of our buff Orpingtons just went broody, I pull her off the nest at dusk and put her up on the perch with the others, and she will spend the night on the perch, but next morning she goes back to the nesting box.

 

[aart]

So, do you leave her in the “crate of shame” all day? How often do you let her out, & for how long? At night too, or just during daytime? One of our buff Orpingtons just went broody, I pull her off the nest at dusk and put her up on the perch with the others, and she will spend the night on the perch, but next morning she goes back to the nesting box.

48 hours in the crate, night time too...then let her out an hour before roost time.
If she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate for another 48 hours.