Newbie - needing advice re a stubborn broody!

[Charlee1003]

Hi, this sit first post, hopefully I'll do it right and not break any rules.

I have 4 black Rhodes in the garden, we had 1 (called Fitz) go broody, she was locked out the nest box everyday after the others had laid and after 2-3 days she was back to her normal self.

So when Simmons went broody we tried the same thing but it's been nearly 2 weeks now and she is still returning to the nest at every opportunity and refusing to move,

I've read a lot on every chicken keeping site going and I have tried dunking her lower quarters several times, I've had her in a broody cage for the past week (returning her at the end of the evening to sleep with the others so they don't forget her)

Nothing is working, she's very thin to pick up (although I have seen her eat and drink every day) and she's got a completely bald underside.

Is there anything else I can try or shall I just leave her now? Will she snap out of it herself?

The others are only laying intermittently now, we get 2 eggs a day out of the 4 of them.

Again, apologies if this is a silly question, we're new to chicken keeping.

Thanks!

 

[cluck13]

If you feel it is only being broody, just make sure that she is happy and has access to food and water. She will soon get the idea no eggs for her to sit on. Next time see if someone near has a rooster and possibly fertile eggs for her to sit on

 

[Charlee1003]

Thank you for your reply

I would love to let her sit on on some fertile eggs but until we upgrade the enclosure, our Eglu is full and if we got a cockerel, our neighbours wouldn't like us very much!

:cd

 

[iwiw60]

If you feel you need to 'break' of being broody, here's a page with a wealth of information:

http://www.the-chicken-chick.com/search?q=broody+breaker

 

[4erika]

I have 2 ameraucanas that will go broody for 6 weeks or longer. I toss them out of the nest box every day and they go right back. I'll lock them up in our baby run and they'll cry until I am worried about bothering the neighbors. They are also my spastic birds that lose their minds if I go near them. I will never get that breed again. I had a light sussex that went broody often as well, but she was calm and friendly. The interesting thing is that the two ameraucanas and the light sussex were hatched under a broody hen and raised by her. I wonder if chickens raised by a broody are more likely to go broody often.

 

[Charlee1003]

Thanks again for the new replies.

I have had her in hone broody breaker cage all day again. It's up on bricks and there is plenty of light (although there is shade for her because it's scorching here today!)

I put her back in the main coop just now and she ran straight to the nest :/ this one is a stubborn bird indeed!

Am I doing the right thing putting her back with the others at night or should she be left in the BB overnight?

She's not as aggressive as her coop mate when she went broody we had to use gloves to lift her everyday, this young lady is displaying the puffing of her feathers and flattening out over the nest... She also steals eggs that the others have laid on hone roosting bars, we caught her rolling them over into the nest..

Hopefully it doesn't go on too much longer, I'm not worried about the lack of eggs but I don't like seeing her all alone in time out away from her friends.

Are Black Rhodes known for being broody?

Here she is in her favourite cool dusting hole under my rose bush.

 

[iwiw60]

Quote: When you are trying to break a broody and have them in a dog crate you have to leave the tray OUT of the cage. It's having to deal with the cage frame, which is hard on their feet, that does the trick...they can't get comfortable, etc. Did you remove the tray thing?

 

[Charlee1003]

Yep, she's on bars! Doesn't look comfy.

 

[iwiw60]

Yep, she's on bars! Doesn't look comfy.

Geez....stubborn little chicken, eh?!!

She might have to stay in the cage for far more than a few days...yikes!

 

[JackE]

I think the problem is, that you remove her every night. We I put my broodies in the B/B, I leave them in there for four straight days. I tried three, and had them go right back on the nest. So now I go with four straight days. Even then, I had one BO, insist on going back on the nest. She had to do another four, but that finally got her past it. Of course, have feed and water in there with her.