How to stop a broody.... help newbie!!!!

Sorry...no help from me. But I'm watching because I do worry about the same thing happening to me eventually...

 

I'm new too, so don't know if my answer is any good but I have a silky who would just love to hatch about every egg she or anyonelse ever laid, so I just make sure to collect all the eggs everyday. She seems fine with that and no babies here untill spring.

Jody

 

Separate your broody into a wire bottomed cage with no bedding for a few days. Feed and water as normal (although some withhold food, but I can't advise that). That should break her. She may revert back to her broody state after a few weeks. Just repeat the procedure as needed. Works like a charm.

 

Yep, that's what I do, too. Put her in a cage with food and water. Wire bottom is best. No bedding that she can make a nest in. My cages are homemade, and all have roosts in them.

Good luck!

 

you should be gathering eggs everyday to prevent broodiness and any chance of egg eating. CMV and lauralou are right, wire bottom cages are the best. If you dont have one, seperate her anywhere you can and dont give her a nest. And if you dont have anywhere to seperate her, make sure you collect all the eggs daily, twice daily if your hens lay at different time.

Also, push her off the nest. If she's stuck on one specific box, close it off, take out the bedding, etc. Unless she's super determined she wont like the idea of you coming along and pulling her off her nest and will eventually give up if she thinks the nest isn't a 'safe' place anymore.

 

If she is truly broody, just taking the eggs away won't help--a real broody will sit on air! I broke mine by kicking her off the nest every chance I got, and locking up the henhouse for a couple of days. She pitched a fit, and the other hen was not happy about not having a nestbox, but it worked. If kicking her off doesn't do it, you'll have to put her in a cage, or wire off part of the run.

 

I toss my broodies in my grow-out pen with all the youngsters - no nest, just lots of teenagers to boss her around. Within 3 days she's begging to be put back in her normal pen and isn't broody anymore.

 

Quote:This is it. Put er in jail - no nesting materials AT ALL. I broke my broody in two days.