i somehow acquired 2 runaways and i have questions. please help

[pollipazzi]

She's broody. There are 3 choices: break her, let her ride it out (about 3 weeks), or give her some eggs to hatch if she's really committed.

I could never break mine; it seems so cruel. I let her remain, although I did take her out by hand (she growled but was docile otherwise) several times a day so she could get air, exercise, and food and water.

While broody, she won't lay eggs, and will lose weight.

can you tell me what breaking means?

 

[RoyalChick]

can you tell me what breaking means?

It means switching off the hen’s hormonal compulsion to sit in a nest and try and hatch babies.
It is a horrible phrase that suggests violence but really isn’t. Think of it more like ‘breaking the mood’.
Some broody hens can be broken simply by messing with their nest. Like a predator might. I have never had success with that.
Often the phrase is used to confining the hen in a cage with an open (wire) base and only a little piece of wood for them to stand on to protect their feet from the wire.
Lots of cool airflow underneath the hen seems to be the thing that makes it work. Some people also put frozen bottles of water under them or even spray their undercarriage with cold water.
There is an article by @aart that shows how to set up a broody cage using a dog crate. I am hopeless at linking articles but will do so if I can find it.
Meanwhile here is my broody Tassels in the broody cage. I put her in yesterday. At least she is getting something to eat, but remains determinedly broody today.

Found the article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

 

[pollipazzi]

It means switching off the hen’s hormonal compulsion to sit in a nest and try and hatch babies.
It is a horrible phrase that suggests violence but really isn’t. Think of it more like ‘breaking the mood’.
Some broody hens can be broken simply by messing with their nest. Like a predator might. I have never had success with that.
Often the phrase is used to confining the hen in a cage with an open (wire) base and only a little piece of wood for them to stand on to protect their feet from the wire.
Lots of cool airflow underneath the hen seems to be the thing that makes it work. Some people also put frozen bottles of water under them or even spray their undercarriage with cold water.
There is an article by @aart that shows how to set up a broody cage using a dog crate. I am hopeless at linking articles but will do so if I can find it.
Meanwhile here is my broody Tassels in the broody cage. I put her in yesterday. At least she is getting something to eat, but remains determinedly broody today.
View attachment 4090756

Found the article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

thank you so much for that!
this is the kinda stuff that makes me feel like i'm failing. i do not have all the stuff or room for so many things that i'm learning. i sometimes (mostly) wish this was planned and prepared for. and that i had some general knowledge!
i just keep trying to remember that they decided to come here and if they weren't happy then they would probably leave too. sometimes it's hard to remember that though

 

[pollipazzi]

thank you so much for that!
this is the kinda stuff that makes me feel like i'm failing. i do not have all the stuff or room for so many things that i'm learning. i sometimes (mostly) wish this was planned and prepared for. and that i had some general knowledge!
i just keep trying to remember that they decided to come here and if they weren't happy then they would probably leave too. sometimes it's hard to remember

It means switching off the hen’s hormonal compulsion to sit in a nest and try and hatch babies.
It is a horrible phrase that suggests violence but really isn’t. Think of it more like ‘breaking the mood’.
Some broody hens can be broken simply by messing with their nest. Like a predator might. I have never had success with that.
Often the phrase is used to confining the hen in a cage with an open (wire) base and only a little piece of wood for them to stand on to protect their feet from the wire.
Lots of cool airflow underneath the hen seems to be the thing that makes it work. Some people also put frozen bottles of water under them or even spray their undercarriage with cold water.
There is an article by @aart that shows how to set up a broody cage using a dog crate. I am hopeless at linking articles but will do so if I can find it.
Meanwhile here is my broody Tassels in the broody cage. I put her in yesterday. At least she is getting something to eat, but remains determinedly broody today.
View attachment 4090756

Found the article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

how do you know if they stopped being broody or that they are still being broody in the broody cage?
and look at your lovely space and your lovely chickens

 

[pollipazzi]

she's back in, btw.
i'll leave her be and see what happens. louise is annoyed because she really doesn't like to be without her, even though she pretends like she doesn't care

 

[pollipazzi]

It means switching off the hen’s hormonal compulsion to sit in a nest and try and hatch babies.
It is a horrible phrase that suggests violence but really isn’t. Think of it more like ‘breaking the mood’.
Some broody hens can be broken simply by messing with their nest. Like a predator might. I have never had success with that.
Often the phrase is used to confining the hen in a cage with an open (wire) base and only a little piece of wood for them to stand on to protect their feet from the wire.
Lots of cool airflow underneath the hen seems to be the thing that makes it work. Some people also put frozen bottles of water under them or even spray their undercarriage with cold water.
There is an article by @aart that shows how to set up a broody cage using a dog crate. I am hopeless at linking articles but will do so if I can find it.
Meanwhile here is my broody Tassels in the broody cage. I put her in yesterday. At least she is getting something to eat, but remains determinedly broody today.
View attachment 4090756

Found the article: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/broody-breaking-ala-aart.77915/

i read the article. i do not have a dog cage or enough room for one in the coop even if i did. would building a little cage that would fit right in the nesting box work with a little bit of the coop space included? (that feels so mean to even think of) with food and water of course. i could raise it up? i know it's early but i'm trying to think of something i can do if she needs me to.
will i wait and see if she comes out? or should i put some food and water in the coop for her?

i think it's hard going with 2 because if one has a problem, the other is affected somehow.

 

[redinator]

i read the article. i do not have a dog cage or enough room for one in the coop even if i did. would building a little cage that would fit right in the nesting box work with a little bit of the coop space included? (that feels so mean to even think of) with food and water of course. i could raise it up? i know it's early but i'm trying to think of something i can do if she needs me to.
will i wait and see if she comes out? or should i put some food and water in the coop for her?

i think it's hard going with 2 because if one has a problem, the other is affected somehow.

I maybe misunderstanding this, but it seems like you're not really concerned about whether or not she's laying eggs for you to eat, but more concerned with her health as a result of not leaving the nest box.

My chicks are only only 7 weeks old so I haven't had to deal with this myself, but from what I read here it seems like the thing to do would be make the nest box(es) uncomfortable for her to sit in for a few days until she's over being broody.

Since you don't have the space to setup a broody jail something like this might work: https://a.co/d/7On4ni0 to my understanding she won't lay eggs if she'd broody anyway, so making the nest box uninviting to lay in wouldn't really hurt. They can still sleep and roost in the coop at night.

As stated I haven't dealt with this myself, so wait for others to weigh in on the idea.

 

[AntiqueB]

i read the article. i do not have a dog cage or enough room for one in the coop even if i did. would building a little cage that would fit right in the nesting box work with a little bit of the coop space included? (that feels so mean to even think of) with food and water of course. i could raise it up? i know it's early but i'm trying to think of something i can do if she needs me to.
will i wait and see if she comes out? or should i put some food and water in the coop for her?

i think it's hard going with 2 because if one has a problem, the other is affected somehow.

I would reach in and take my broody out of the nest, out of the run, and as far from it as I could before plopping her down. She was always in a trance, which would take a few minutes to go away, so I made sure she was under cover in case a hawk spied her.

I kept food and water in the run, so she would have to pass by once she got out of her trance and bolted back to the nest. I did this as often as I could.

2 is a difficult number, mainly because if anything should happen to one, the other is left alone. I maintain a minimum flock size of 3-4, and always add 2-3 when needed, so the newbies have a peer group.

 

[pollipazzi]

I maybe misunderstanding this, but it seems like you're not really concerned about whether or not she's laying eggs for you to eat, but more concerned with her health as a result of not leaving the nest box.

My chicks are only only 7 weeks old so I haven't had to deal with this myself, but from what I read here it seems like the thing to do would be make the nest box(es) uncomfortable for her to sit in for a few days until she's over being broody.

Since you don't have the space to setup a broody jail something like this might work: https://a.co/d/7On4ni0 to my understanding she won't lay eggs if she'd broody anyway, so making the nest box uninviting to lay in wouldn't really hurt. They can still sleep and roost in the coop at night.

As stated I haven't dealt with this myself, so wait for others to weigh in on the idea.

thanks! that certainly looks very uncomfortable! lol!
it seems that if i do something to her side, like move fake eggs, she just goes over to louise's side! i don't want to be making louise uncomfortable since it's not her problem. so everything is confusing to know what to do!

i really don't care one bit if they lay eggs or not. they're just a bonus. i just want them to be happy!

 

[pollipazzi]

I would reach in and take my broody out of the nest, out of the run, and as far from it as I could before plopping her down. She was always in a trance, which would take a few minutes to go away, so I made sure she was under cover in case a hawk spied her.

I kept food and water in the run, so she would have to pass by once she got out of her trance and bolted back to the nest. I did this as often as I could.

2 is a difficult number, mainly because if anything should happen to one, the other is left alone. I maintain a minimum flock size of 3-4, and always add 2-3 when needed, so the newbies have a peer group.

i wonder if she gets to that stage if she'll let me pick her up. that's how she left today. i eversoslowly tried to touch her and she bolted!

i get that with the 3-4 ! maybe i will get there someday but i'd say even one more wouldn't be happy with the small coop. i do actually look (shhh don't tell my husband) if anyone has any bantams available in case one were to be left alone. but i don't see many going (if any). a regular chicken sized chicken would definitely be crowded! as far as i understand, there is a lockdown for poultry sales because of a case or two of bird flu in the north, so maybe that's why i'm not seeing any?