Ok to wait out a Broody hen?

[anwhite]

We had a hen go broody this afternoon. We don't have a rooster, so eggs are unfertilized. The last few days, we have been able to get her out of the nest, and she would go about her day acting like a normal chicken, but today was different. She made a beeline straight back to the nest after we got her out. I have read about a broody breaker (wire cage), but a friend just tried that with her chicken, and it hasn't been successful after nearly a week, and I'm not set up at all for it. Another suggestion I got from a long time chicken keeper was to put one of the eggs that has been refrigerated (unfertilized) under her, and when it starts to rot in a few days, it should trigger in her that her hatch was unsuccessful, and break her broodiness. It is going to be 107 degrees tomorrow, and 110 for most of next week, and we already lost one chicken to the heat. (Phoenix, AZ area) So I'm really nervous about her not drinking enough or staying cool enough. Is there anything wrong with putting the unfertile egg under her and waiting her out? The chickens only use the coop for roosting and nesting, and spend their day free-ranging.

Help! These chickens are totally stressing me out!

 

[azygous]

Your instinct is already informing you that waiting a broody out is a dangerous tactic in your harsh climate. That is the main reason for breaking a broody - the dangerous toll it takes on her body to let her go without adequate food and water for three weeks. In your environment, it could easily result in her death.

The rotten egg method of breaking a broody is a silly, stupid notion and I guarantee it will have no effect whatsoever.

Some broodies take up to ten days to break in the broody cage. I just had one that took eleven. The average is three days.

You can do it without the cage if you are present and can keep her out of the nest. There are two things that will interrupt the broody hormones. The main one is to lower the body temperature of the broody. You can do that by frequent dunks, just the lower part from neck to vent, in cold water. The other is to make sure she can't have access to a quiet, secluded, dark place in which to "brood". (Ever notice how many chicken metaphors our language has?)

The cage is easiest because it keeps a broody confined so her temperature can come back down by having cool air circulate under her, a fan can help, and you don't have to be present to keep fetching her back off the nest. A large cage isn't necessary, but it has to have an open mesh bottom.

 

[aart]

Agrees cold to rotten egg is a very bad idea.

Dunking her undersides in cool water is probably your best bet for right now today, then try to get a wire crate and put it in the shade with a breeze.

Having one or two wire dogs crates is good idea when you have chickens in case you need to isolate them for an number of reasons.

Added a nipple water bottle after pic was taken.

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some watered down crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day 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.

 

[anwhite]

Thank you for the advice! I had put a cold egg under her last night, (before I saw these replies, and desperate to do something) and as of this morning, she had rolled it out of the nest and was walking around the chicken yard. So, I'm crossing my fingers she has returned to normal. If not, then I will track down a dog crate. I like the idea of keeping it in the chicken yard by the others, but up on 2x4's.

Is there anything I can do in the future to help prevent broodiness? My kids collect the eggs often throughout the day (the novelty still hasn't worn off).

 

[aart]

Thank you for the advice! I had put a cold egg under her last night, (before I saw these replies, and desperate to do something) and as of this morning, she had rolled it out of the nest and was walking around the chicken yard. So, I'm crossing my fingers she has returned to normal. If not, then I will track down a dog crate. I like the idea of keeping it in the chicken yard by the others, but up on 2x4's.

Is there anything I can do in the future to help prevent broodiness? My kids collect the eggs often throughout the day (the novelty still hasn't worn off).

Nope..it's all about hormones. Some hens are broodier than others.

The one of mine in the pic above I broke last summer and this spring, but she seemed easy to break...... once I figured out what to do.