- Apr 28, 2014
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My Welsummer decided to go broody today! This is my first experience with this and were about to get two of the coldest days in 79yrs or something crazy like that! She's sitting in a pile of hay, not far from the perch her sisters sleep on (I only have 3). I took her eggs and golfballs away and she made this crazy annoyed purring sound but didn't peck at me. I'm really hoping she changes her mind, it's too cold to not get the water while it's thawed. Anything I can do to persuade her to abandon nest and cuddle on the perch at night?
Silly chicken!
Normally you break broodiness by placing her in a wire bottom cage that is off the ground. By doing this, you cool her chest. If you pick her up, you'll notice she has probably pulled her feathers out of her chest. You'd leave her there for a couple days. By cooling her chest, it breaks the hormonal cycle and the mothering instinct is gone and she can rejoin the flock and start laying again.
Now, with the cold coming. Perhaps it will be cold enough that nature will break her of the broodiness for you. A friend of mine had a broody hen but wouldn't continue sitting for more than 4 days. He swears the cold weather broke her broodiness.
I might suggest that after her sisters are on the perch, make sure any light is off and place her next to them for the night. The darkness may be enough of a deterrent to not try and find her way back