My Broody breaking routine

[AllenK RGV]

I thought I retired(involuntarily-ReFired) early at 51.

I truly hope all is going well with that for you. I do say I have to admire your thrifty feed/water systems. You do bring a no nonsense approach to chicken keeping.

 

[cluckmecoop7]

Thank you for sharing this!

 

[iss1arg]

Time to jail her in my opinion, keep her off the nest and preferably in a location you can cool down her hot belly like on a basement floor. In my case I put my broody hens back up on the roost at night and find out in the morning if they are broken or not by checking the old nest as they will always go back to it if still broody. Toss out all those old and ready to explode rotten eggs that she is sitting on. As a matter of fact, do not let her see eggs while you are breaking her. one final note 21 days is all it takes for a viable chicken to hatch from the egg.

Now on to my thoughts on the other hens "not laying". I would bet they still are just not where you expect to find them. Most likely you need to investigate every shrub or tall stand of grass for where they are hiding them. I'm willing to bet your broody hen is occupying everyone's favorite nest to lay in as well. Forcing the other hens to look for new nesting places. If you can rule out this is not the issue you may want to look under articles and look up "molt" it can stop laying in some cases.

post was directed to @iss1arg

Thank you AllenK,
I did forget to say the other 6 are in a chicken run all day. what is funny, the one that is laying the egg is my escape artist. She lays her egg and then finds the hole in the fencing. I may try the pepper thing. I put the broody in tank separate from the other chickens last week in order to stop the community egg deposit.

Thanks for the advise here. I will try these suggestions and see how it goes.

 

[AllenK RGV]

Just got in 10 Sumatra eggs from Stewart Longtails. I am hoping that Hildy my hen who almost draws blood from hen pecking will raise up 5 eggs for me, and the other 5 will go in the incubator. She is due to sit for me later this afternoon so we wil see.

 

[aart]

She is due to sit for me later this afternoon so we wil see.

If she's not sitting 23/7 now......

 

[Willowspirit]

I had a glw go broody. We tried sort of half heartedly to break her but you know half measures and all... I got some eggs to make use of her attitude and that broke her. She broke before the eggs arrived so now I have an incubator, a purchase I wasn’t sure I wanted to make before I ordered my eggs.

So the eggs are in the ‘bator.

Meanwhile this morning I was handing out treats and two chickens weren’t there: an Orpington and a glw. I hear a horrible screeching coming from the coop. When I’d handed out all of the treats, I went in.

An Orp was standing on the edge of the favored nesting box and the glw was in the box screeching. I picked her up and found an egg and the Orp slipped down into the box. I’m sure the Orp needed to lay and why use another box, right. So I left them there. The dot was unhappy but what the heck. I’m sure it was the same dot so I might try broody breaking.

We can close off the nest box side of the coop so I can catch her off the roost to jail her. I am lucky that so far she is gentle and I can pick her right up.

 

[AllenK RGV]

If she's not sitting 23/7 now......

Since the 28th she is basically getting her daily evection notice, and naturally I have been getting love bites. She should be laying within the next two hours by 1630 CST. I really love the belly wash trick as she doesn't keep up the shampoo rinse and repeat to break now. Just wanders off and leaves me in peace now I don't have much use for the broom outside.

I am sure she would love to see 5 eggs sitting there waiting to be brooded.

 

[aart]

Since the 28th she is basically getting her daily evection notice, and naturally I have been getting love bites. She should be laying within the next two hours by 1630 CST. I really love the belly wash trick as she doesn't keep up the shampoo rinse and repeat to break now. Just wanders off and leaves me in peace now I don't have much use for the broom outside.

I am sure she would love to see 5 eggs sitting there waiting to be brooded.

She's still laying...and you've been evicting her from the nests....both daily.
This make no sense for a broody incubation scenario, good thing you have an incubator.

 

[Willowspirit]

She's still laying...and you've been evicting her from the nests....both daily.
This make no sense for a broody incubation scenario, good thing you have an incubator.

This confuses me. Don’t broody hens left to their own devices on a nest keep laying until they determine they have enough eggs to sit on?

 

[aart]

This confuses me. Don’t broody hens left to their own devices on a nest keep laying until they determine they have enough eggs to sit on?

Sometimes, conceivably in the wild, yes....but can be hard to tell if a BY bird is actually broody until.....
Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.