I locked my broody hen out and she's back at it!

[DangerChickenHouse]

My broody hen has been sitting on unfertilized eggs for almost a week. I kicked her out of the coop today and locked her out of the run. She was forced to free range with her friends. She went straight to a dust bath and played in the yard. Two hours later I put them back in the run (a storm is coming) and she ran back in the coop. She's broody again.

Advice?

 

[cmclean]

I have the same problem. I wait until my other 3 hens have laid their eggs, then I take my broody off the nest and lock everyone out ( to free range). The moment I open the door again my broody makes a run for her nest. This routine has been going on for weeks!!!!! Good thing I am home to play " chicken musical chairs!"
I don't think you can mess with mother nature. This too shall pass!!

 

[Coop de Grille]

I'm having the same problem with my girl that has gone broody. I was locking her in a dog cage at night but she clucked all.night.long. I put her back in with the rest of the girls and she goes right for the nest box. I have been kicking her out when I go into the coop but she waits til I leave and then heads right back. She was sitting on her own egg, a plastic easter egg and a golf ball but I took everything out.

I can't block off the nest boxes because my other girls all lay at different times of the day.



She is on the left. She has occupied the favorite nest box and has become the nest box nazi. At least she is letting the other girls in with her to lay, but then she steals their eggs too.

 

[cmclean]

Your BO broody looks exactly like mine!!! All puffed up and mad at the world!!!! Raising chickens is almost like raising children!!

 

[DangerChickenHouse]

Mine is a broody BO too! And she is all puffed up!

She is missing out on yard fun! And, freaking me out about my eggs. I don't want to eat an egg that has been over 100 degrees all day. I'm throwing them out.

 

[cravenchx]

I just broke (I hope) my leghorn. I put her in
a broody box inside the run with food and water,
no nesting material for three days. Released her,
and so far, she is back to normal, except, she
hasn't layed an egg yet.

 

[crazybantams]

Having this problem at the moment with one of mine! She has been in the nest box all day and all night, took us a while to work out what was up with her as there are no eggs in there! Every time you took her out she would grab something to eat and drink and head straight back. She even took to nesting on the floor of the coop :/ . Today I have got her out and locked up the coop and the only other hen in lay doesn't lay in the coop she has found herself a comfy spot under the shelter and that's where she has always layed. We do have a dog crate but will this make any difference if the coop is shut anyway? Any other tips? We are fairly new at this and have never had a broody hen before ( it could be that we actually took a young cockerel for a short while not realising? He has gone now)

 

[Maps8488]

Your BO broody looks exactly like mine!!! All puffed up and mad at the world!!!! Raising chickens is almost like raising children!!

I'm having the same issue with one of my hens also. I keep collecting g the eggs from under her.
I kove her out to free range. She bolts right back to her spot.

 

[Mrs. K]

Let her brood for 2 weeks and give her a chick. Easy to get chicks this time of year.

Or get serious and ignore her clucking, her promising to be good and lock her up in a wire crate. Try dipping her belly in cold water, once a day. Brooding can be hard on them, they either need to be making or raising chicks or not.

Mrs K