Illinois...

[eracerx46]

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

 

[snaffle]

That's what I do too.

I have a small dog cage ...when a hen gets broody I set the cage on the roosts... remove the pan...and put the hen inside. I will give her water and food...and leave her there for a couple of days. It usually doesnt take more than 2 to 4 days before she changes her mind about wanting to be an old cluck.

 

[jerryse]

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!

Moving them often works . When you want them to set and move them to a private nest they often quit . I sometimes put them in the extra rooster pen . The change and extra roosters pursuing them does the trick .

 

[Faraday40]

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!

Oh No! Poor girl. With the cold coming, I'd just place her up on the roost at night. That cold air will touch her belly & likely cool her down. Keeping the eggs away from her may also help. Mine have never pecked but boy can they do a loud broody scream. (Not the little irritated noise.) Too bad I can't borrow her. DD is still waiting for another broody volunteer for her project.

Of course if you want to break her with some fertile eggs, PM me.

 

[JustHenny]

In answer to the anti-abortion egg eating question...
I have one egg customer that requested non-fertile eggs because she did not want to "murder the unborn chick" I explained that the rooster is always with the girls, though he isn't very "active". Some of the eggs will be fertile but many won't and that by the time I gather and she picks up it is a day or two at most, the eggs were in the fridge, and no development really occurred. After a bit of discussion she accepted our chat and continues to purchase eggs. She is highly religious. I don't know about any others, I don't know if she is strictly anti-abortion or what not. But she is pretty reasonable. Others may not be. There are all kinds of levels to all kinds of people. Discussion is admirable, persecution and judgmentalism are not.

I love my extra roos! If something should happen to my main man, I have another to step up and take the roll. Free ranging in the country has its set backs, like coyotes, 'possum, raccoon, red-tail hawks, weasels, fox. So having a back up plan is always the best plan. lol... It's sad when something happens, but if you have extra, it doesn't damage the flock or set you back months at a time.

 

[eracerx46]

In answer to the anti-abortion egg eating question...
I have one egg customer that requested non-fertile eggs because she did not want to "murder the unborn chick" I explained that the rooster is always with the girls, though he isn't very "active". Some of the eggs will be fertile but many won't and that by the time I gather and she picks up it is a day or two at most, the eggs were in the fridge, and no development really occurred. After a bit of discussion she accepted our chat and continues to purchase eggs. She is highly religious. I don't know about any others, I don't know if she is strictly anti-abortion or what not. But she is pretty reasonable. Others may not be. There are all kinds of levels to all kinds of people. Discussion is admirable, persecution and judgmentalism are not.

I love my extra roos! If something should happen to my main man, I have another to step up and take the roll. Free ranging in the country has its set backs, like coyotes, 'possum, raccoon, red-tail hawks, weasels, fox. So having a back up plan is always the best plan. lol... It's sad when something happens, but if you have extra, it doesn't damage the flock or set you back months at a time.

Appreciate your first hand insight. My dad has a friend that has chickens too. Again very religious, anti-abortion type. He has told me a story of how he met his wife. He "asked god for a wife, and god told him to go to China". He has a tendency to be the preachy type, which I don't care for. You can believe what you want, and I'll believe what I want. Merely asked the fertile egg question because if you look up infertile vs fertile, even after cracking both open I can guarantee most people wouldn't be able to tell the difference. To each their own, was just curious.

 

[JustHenny]

One more thing and them I'm changing the subject to something fun. I believe we are raising our chickens and food actually closer to the way peoples god(s) would want. Every religion extols the virtues of nature and a certain reverence for it. So even if you have fertilized eggs and "kill the babies" its better than a brutal system in which the animal spends its whole life in agony never knowing kindness or even comfort. I don't know too many people who would prefer that system just to keep the eggs unfertilized...


ON TO BETTER THINGS! My BO has gone broody exactly three months after her sister, the only other BO I have! They aren't even a year yet! I was hoping she would wait for the hatch-a-long. If I managed to break her broody with the ideas recently posted, how long before she may go broody again? Or should I just let her give it a shot and incubate for the hatch-a -long? I have never had such determined mothers!

 

[eracerx46]

Personally, I'd probably let her go if she can keep them warm enough. I think if you break the broodiness now, good chance the other BO would become broody before this one would. If you want to be somewhat mean, what you could do is try and execute a controlled boomerang effect. Let her sit for a few days to see how determined she is. Then, remove her from eggs and put her in a wire bottom cage for 1 day making sure she has food and water. If she's in there any longer a good chance you'll break the broodiness. But just one day shouldn't be long enough to bust that cycle.

I've done it accidentally where a broody hen gets tossed of the broody buster too soon and she'll bolt right back to sit after being out of the cage for few minutes.

 

[JustHenny]

Her sister did a great job and has four healthy chicks. I think the Orpingtons are just really good mommas!

 

[LinaNate]

It just recently had pasty butt this week at 3 weeks old. The lump has been there since hatch.