Please help me break this broody

[amanda1]

We are going on 8 days now, in a wire cage, and my hen doesn't appear to be losing any of her broodiness. I let her out twice a day to free range with the others, but after about half an hour, she heads back to the nesting boxes, making that clucking sound. She sits in her cage as if it's a nesting box. I have tried the cold water method a few times as well as keeping her in the wire bottomed cage, but it's not working. I'm worried about her as she appears to be losing weight. We can get her to nibble a bit of food, but there is no poop in the cage so I don't think she is eating much. I am getting concerned and frustrated. Any advice is appreciated.

 

[Shilo7]

I keep my rooster in a different area then my hens. I had a hen go broody and put her in with him for five days and that worked for me.

 

[amanda1]

Our rooster was killed last December! But thanks for the advice anyway!

 

[Eggcessive]

Make sure the crate is large enough to put a small roost in there very low. No badding or very little to keep her from nesting. Ideally, I like to put mine outdoors in a large covered pen on grass. they peck around and spend time on the roost. I keep feed and water in there, but throw in some scratch to get them up and about, and later give them some chopped egg since they will readily eat that. Usually by the 5th day they are broke.

 

[amanda1]

It's a pretty small cage, like a standard Guinea pig cage. We do have a roost in there, but she is not using it and just sitting on the wire bottom.

 

[amanda1]

Yesterday afternoon I realized everyone had laid for the day, so I blocked off the nesting boxes and let her back with the flock. I kept them blocked overnight so she could roost with the others. This morning I let them free range early for about 2 hours. When I let them back in I opened up the nesting boxes again. Low and behold she showed no interest in the nesting boxes! I just went out to check and she is hanging outside with the rest of them! We've had others who were easily broken by just removing them from the boxes regularly. This one was tough. I'm so relieved!