How to break a Silkie of being Broody................

[chickenzoo]

Well, Sukie & Gabbie have been going broody in their house cage for awhile, sitting on nothing but air. They were getting rather stinky, so I decided to give all 4 of them baths...... what a mess! After their baths and blow drys they were not happy campers, except Sophie, and threatened me with my life if I dare took pics. They did however stop being broody !!!

 

[ScaredOfShadows]

lol yes I've noticed bathing them and grooming them can somtimes break broodies that have been at it awhile...My main way of stopping my silkies I've found is sticking them in my open floor coop (take out the plastic floor and let them sit on nothing but wire and air on the bums) for a day or two before THEN bath them

they hate it but it has worked twice for me now. lol.

Indignant silkies are so funny though, I get tickled at their fussing and fluffing up when you toss them off their 'nesting place' or when you put them down after drying them off from baths. Its great. lol. I have a white silkie who is EVIL each time I would take an egg from under her during broody moods...She'll take it out on all the younger chickens and even the rooster! God forbid if my cats come in the run, they are climing the walls to get away from the evil peeved broody fuzzy thing.

 

[NCchicken]

Oooh good to know about bathing a broody silkie! My silkie, Aunt Bethany, has been broody for about 3 weeks now. I tried the wire cage bottom for about 3/4 of a day but it was so hard to see her freak out and get all frazzled in the cage. I thought she was going to hurt herself by trying to find a way out of the cage!!! I couldn't take it, call me what you will, but I had to let her out. BUT this weekend I noticed her out of her nesting box twice and for hours on end. Not just to get a bite to eat and a quick sip of water. She was out with everyone else for at least 8 hours, then would go back in her nesting box. I do hope she is breaking the broodiness herself, I sure as heck can't do it. If she is still broody for another week or so, I'll try to ole' bath-a-roo and see what happens. I once read on here somewhere in the universe of BYC that when they had a broody one, they would dunk their butt into water and that would break them of their broodiness. Hmm, all such vary interesting techniques.