How to break a broody...

[BarkerChickens]

Apparently to break a broody hen, put her in the brooder coop/pen with eggs.

She was broody for weeks and it was near impossible to break her. So we gave in and gave her eggs. She sat on the them for a week, then we carefully (reading BYC posts for guidance) moved her and her eggs to the brooder coop/pen (a section at the back of the pic run that can be sectioned off...it has the old coop in there, which is now the brooder coop). Knowing that that coop is a little chillier than the big coop, we added a 250 watt heat lamp, which makes it plenty warm in there. Well, she didn't like the whole idea. She broke one egg fussing around and abandoned the nest. So DH put with the rest of the flock again. She found 3 new eggs and sat on them. DH moved her and her new eggs back to the brooder coop and, again, she decided "no thanks". So, now she is back with the flock, sleeping on the roost and I haven't even seen her in the coop at all today. If we don't want her to hatch eggs next time she goes broody, I will stick her and her eggs in the brooder coop.

 

[Cats Critters]

Mine had the same idea, ended up letting them go broody in the regular nest boxes.

 

[kathyinmo]

Oh, so that's how to do it! OK, I will give it a try! I have one BO that I have thrown off the nest at least 6 times today, and I've dunked her butt in a tub of water.... no luck, back to the nest! I have taken every egg as quickly as I see it. She is sitting on nothing! I have a broody silkie as well. Why couldn't they have done this sooner ... darn it! It's just bad timing, for ME! LOL

 

[lngrid]

I don't know anything about chickens so I'm asking this as a learner: if she was fussing enough to break an egg, could it be that she wasn't physically comfortable there? Too hot/cold, too bright/dim, paranoid about bugs?

 

[mulia24]

i put the broody hen with my roo in a real *not large* (dunno the english,sorry) cage and the roo always annoying her and there's no chance to sit so after some days, she'll forget the broody thing and be back as *normal*.

 

[BarkerChickens]

Quote:
That coop is smaller and not as warm as the large coop, but we put a 250 watt heat lamp in there. One of EEs prefers that coop and sleeps in there alone without any additional heating, so I know it isn't exceptionally chilly.

Maybe next spring....that'll be more convenient anyway.

 

[joedie]

My Bo's frequently go broody!

When they do, I put them in a medium sized dog crate with only the wire floor and NO eggs for 3-4 days. The air circulates under her butt and she has no eggs to sit on. When I take her out, she's no longer broody. (For a month or so anyways). If you give her eggs, it's not going to stop as fast and if she's broody, she won't lay. This works every time. I just have to keep her food and water in a little dish for her. So far, my BO's are the only ones who have been broody. Great if I want chicks which I don't.

 

[ibpboo]

I've had hens that go broody. Nothing I tried ever really broke them of it. One hen I got fertilized eggs from a friend and let her hatch them. A couple more times I bought chicks and switched them for the eggs after a period of time.
Now I have another hen that goes broody, I would take the eggs whenever I found them, she is wild and doesn't stay in the coop with the rest. She just moved in my yard one day and has stayed ever since. Then she laid her eggs under the barn where I can not get to. So I just let her be. She'll stay broody for a couple three months, then give up for awhile, and the cycle starts again. I used to think they'd starve and die, but they don't. I feel sorry for her because she really wants those eggs to hatch.
So, I have a silkie that goes broody , too. I just let her sit. I have enough other chickens, so I still can get eggs.
Now that I finally have a rooster, I'm hoping to get fertile eggs for them to hatch!
Some hens just go broody I guess. Most of mine do not go broody.