Penelope the Terrible.... has gone broody. S.O.S.

[Mahan5175]

The way you write this out is amazing. I have to see what happens next.

 

[theoldchick]

Wait until you get three at once!

 

[jannakaye]

So funny!! Try putting her in a pet taxi for the day. Good luck with Penelope!

 

[aart]

PtT is still the resident Broody Gone Bad.. she's battered the other hens away from the nesting area to the point where they've held their eggs in today. I got 2 eggs today out of 6 hens, and 3 yesterday. Not copasetic. I tried to explain the cage idea to DH, but The Boss pulled the "grow a pair" card on me again today, saying she was "just an animal" and I just had to assert myself. Uh huh... That opinion officially changed after he attempted to collect the eggs this evening. He is now volunteering to bring home a small wire dog kennel from a co-worker tomorrow.

Tomorrow commence operation Hell Hen Sequester.
...Wish me luck.

Gotta grin when 'The Big Pair' gets nipped enough to turn the light on.

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

Penelope the Terrible in her Lair.

Next installment of the Hell Hen to commence this evening. But now you can place a face with my terror. I was going to poke her to get her to flair her mane, for effect and then you too would be able to feel your very soul shrink---but she struck out at me before I could do so. A lightning fast ONE TWO THREE and the last one ended with a flesh wrenching bite-and-twist maneuver. Glove be dam*ed, she still pinched me through it. I abandoned all coherent poultry paparazzi intent and decided the one I had was going to have to suffice.

 

[mortie]

She does look formidable. You have your hands full there it would seem!

 

[deacons]

Your story was wonderful!! Such a fine vocabulary and way with those words, good job!!
Had me grinning from ear to ear with delight.

So break your broody.....put her in a wire crate off the ground, with food water but no nesting material. Let the breeze cool her red hot, vicious little butt for a day or two.

Best to do this within the coop and/or run so you don't have to reintegrate her back into the flock.
Let her out after a day or two, if she beelines back to her broody lair nest, put her back into the crate for another couple days.

I've never actually done this but have read a ton about it, this seems to be the easiest most efficient technique.
This search will help you peruse other options and learn from others experiences.
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Haven't read all the replies yet, but yes, this is what I was going to recommend. Have been through this with one hen who is determined to go broody this spring/summer- but no roo here, so no matter how determined she is, not going to happen for her.

They look and sound sad and pitiful in the crate, especially when they see all their friends out running around. You have to be vigilant though and stick to it. Mine can be "broken" in 3 days with consistent caging, day and night, with 30 minutes in the morning and 30 in the evening for free ranging (coop closed tight during that time). I put a small desktop fan under the crate, pointed up at her (though I am afraid to leave the fan plugged in over night for fear of burning the barn down, so it's just on when I'm home and awake). If I break down and try to reintegrate her into the general population when she's not quite cooled out, I'm adding another couple of days of caging, which ultimately is even sadder for her. So just stick to it and you'll get her through it as quickly as possible.

I would definitely recommend heavy garden gloves and long sleeves when pulling her out of the nest- just grab her firmly to keep her wings pinned down to her sides, hold her close to your body so she can't strike at you, and get her transferred into the cage as quickly as you can.

Good luck! It's no fun when they get like this.

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

To all who may be wondering what has happened to my resident broody from hell:

DH talked a big talk, got whomped one too many times by Penelope, and agreed to get the dog cage for me. My dear folks, a week has gone by and I finally got the pet carrier--this morning. Apparently DH recovered his "sensibility" and decided perhaps we'd all been overreacting to her fury----and conveniently "forgot" to appropriate said promised dog-crate. I conveniently "forgot" to keep my temper after a week. I've spent a week in hen purgatory, and have resorted to using a stick (I had to upgrade to a wider girth after the first few days) to hold in front of her while I snake underneath her belly for the eggs. It works---she bites and rips and pecks the branch into a righteous oblivion during the few seconds it takes for me assess for eggs, and in the time it takes for her to realize my hand is there and ripe for her thrashing, I've removed it.
But no more! Today is the day and she is going into lockdown. I've finished assembling the kennel, and only took a reprieve to cook some quick lunch for the kids. After that, it's officially time for Operation Hell Hen Sequester.

 

[PlaidBattleAxe]

Theoldchick--- Heaven help you. 3 at once?? I'd be done-in, I think. I can barely manage my one!
Aart--- Manhood is recovered at lightning speed, apparently. Sorry. "Sensibility," rather.
Deacons--- Thank you for the advice!
Mortie-- I swear she's got a better glare than Dirty Harry.
Mahan & Jannakaye, Howfunkyisyourchicken and everyone else who responded to my SOS-- thanks!

 

[MyLoveableChick]

What type of breed is she?