I think my hens gone broody!

[Mandolynn81]

I have a 7 month bluff orphington who yesterday started staying puffed up in the nesting box, and when we took her down she would go right back up. She spent the majority of the day in the coop. She’s not aggressive, but our other hen pecks at her for hogging the favorite nesting box ( they each have their own but only want to use the left one). She’s not being loud. She’s broody, right?

1. should we try locking them out of the coop all day? We have one other hen who is a mid day layer, so I don’t want her to get upset. She’s a Plymouth Rock and super layer (every day for 14-21 day stretches) so we don’t want her to lay other places.

2or should we move her to a cage with no bedding and only food and water? Can we keep this in the pen? Or does she need to be separated? like in the garage?

 

[DobieLover]

I have a 7 month bluff orphington who yesterday started staying puffed up in the nesting box, and when we took her down she would go right back up. She spent the majority of the day in the coop. She’s not aggressive, but our other hen pecks at her for hogging the favorite nesting box ( they each have their own but only want to use the left one). She’s not being loud. She’s broody, right?

1. should we try locking them out of the coop all day? We have one other hen who is a mid day layer, so I don’t want her to get upset. She’s a Plymouth Rock and super layer (every day for 14-21 day stretches) so we don’t want her to lay other places.

2or should we move her to a cage with no bedding and only food and water? Can we keep this in the pen? Or does she need to be separated? like in the garage?

Put her in the crate with no bedding and for and water for a day or two then let her out and see how she does.

 

[Ponte]

Had the same issue last week with a BO.
Followed the advise given, put her in a small cage and she broke in 24 hours.

 

[Mandolynn81]

Do I need to take her out of the pen and into the garage? Or can I put her in the cage inside the pen?

 

[Ponte]

From the advise I received it’s important that the hen body’s temperature Drops. So keep her in the cage and have the cage elevated so air can flow below the hen. I also placed an ice packet, wrapped in a plastic bag below the cage.
I would not keep her in the garage if it’s warm in there.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Leave the crate inside the pen. That way once she's broken, she can just rejoin the flock with minimal issue or disruption.

 

[Mandolynn81]

Thanks! We left her in the pen in the large dog crate. Hope she gets over it fast! She was still puffed up all day

 

[aart]

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, IMO it's best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Tho not necessary a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.