Prevention of broodiness???

[Murdy]

To 3 killer, Rosemary and Murdy; Thanks for all your help with my 1st broody hen. Kept her in jail in my backyard next to run for about 36 hours. She settled down and I let her out to be with other hens and VOILA! She's back to normal pecking ground eating and drinking with the rest of flock . Still no eggs but I'm okay as long as she is not broody . She lost some weight but looks better already. Thanks you guys as always this is the best site ever. I did find out the eggs I thought were hers actually belong to my specked sussex Turns out broody ( BA) is a better layer than my SS .

Anytime!! Always glad to share experiences an opinions.... Even with my lack of experience!

 

[rosemarythyme]

Still no eggs but I'm okay as long as she is not broody . She lost some weight but looks better already.

She won't resume laying for a couple of weeks, as broodiness takes some condition from their body. Depending on her age (if she's older than a year) she may go straight into fall molt and not start laying again until spring, but if she's younger she may mini molt and then pick back up again in a couple of weeks.

 

[Murdy]

She won't resume laying for a couple of weeks, as broodiness takes some condition from their body. Depending on her age (if she's older than a year) she may go straight into fall molt and not start laying again until spring, but if she's younger she may mini molt and then pick back up again in a couple of weeks.

Interesting.... None of my 3 girls who have gone broody have molted at all.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Interesting.... None of my 3 girls who have gone broody have molted at all.

You mean afterwards? They don't all do it. Like I only know one of my recent broodies is molting because she's the only cuckoo-ed bird, and there's cuckoo feathers all over the place. But she looks perfectly full feathered.

 

[cherrynberry]

Good day all! In all of my searching here and through the rest of the interwebs, I don't see anything... but I'll ask anyways.

Are there proactive tricks that can help prevent a hen from going broody in the first place? I have no issue breaking them of it when it happens, but it seems to happen WAY too often. Can I prevent it somehow before they stop laying? Are there signs that I can watch for that will allow me to nip in in the bud before it is full on?

I work out of town and am gone for a week at a time. I hate asking my roomate for any more favors than I have to, and he doesn't like seeing the girls in cages.... so I'd like to try to be proactive rather than reactive if possible.


Foolish me, I now have Orpingtons AND Cochins... so I'm likely screwed. Hahaha! I just love how floofy they are!! My 1 orpington was broke of brooding, and not much more than a week later she's sitting. Ugh.

Roll out egg trays if you cant collect eggs manually.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Same here

Rosemary do you leave them in cage day and night? I just put my first girl in jail.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Thanks good to know. She's in a huge dog crate with water and feed. I did put a board for her to roost on at night .

Yes. Day and night. The broody jail is inside the electric netting.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/outdoor-broody-breaker.76592/

Thanks 3 KillerBs that's what I thought. I read someone puts them in coop right before roost time.

 

[Happy hen lover]

Yes. Day and night. The broody jail is inside the electric netting.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/outdoor-broody-breaker.76592/

I remember this post! I just didnt remember who posted it. That's why I picked the dog crate. I left base out and just sat it on the ground. If I need to I could flip over, hubby was afraid of cats getting into cage through big openings.

 

[rosemarythyme]

If that's the case though, wouldn't it make more sense to separate them entirely in order to not "infect" the rest?

Well for one, not all birds are inclined to go broody (this is most noticeable in a flock with various breeds). My own (unproven) theory is they need to be exposed to the broody behavior for a while before it "infects" them, so all the more reason to break them as promptly as possible.

 

[Murdy]

Thanks good to know. She's in a huge dog crate with water and feed. I did put a board for her to roost on at night . Thanks Murdy.

Hmmmm.... Not sure that you want the board in there. I might be wrong.

I put a little wire dog crate right in between a feeder and a waterer (touching both). I find if the food and water is in there they just destroy it, poop in it, make a big mess.