Stopping Broody

[Plough]

I have 2 broodys right now. I don't feel like going through the trouble of caging them up to try to break them of it. I was curious if there were less invasive ways of if not breaking them of it at least shortening them.

Also I have golf balls in the nesting boxes, might this possibly extend their broodyness as they think they always have eggs?

Any help would be appreciated, thanks.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

Elevated wire bottom cage is the tried and true method. Ice in the nests and constantly removing them are much more labor intensive and sometimes don't work or at least not as quickly.

I'd definitely remove the golf balls. They're helping the hormones replicate.

 

[Plough]

Also, whats the longest they can be broody on average. (I know that sounds funny but looking for average, not the random freak that was broody for 5 years.)

 

[ChickenCanoe]

A broody that isn't broken and doesn't have fertile eggs to hatch can stay broody a long time.

Only eating, drinking and stretching once a day is very hard on an animal physiologically. One does their bird no good letting them be broody without hatching eggs. You also aren't getting eggs from that bird the whole time.

A friend of mine had a broody turkey that she didn't try to break. After 2 months of therapy and $5,000 in vet bills the bird died anyway. That may have been the random freak.

Usually a bird that's broody a long time without hatching chicks is very run down and often molt. It takes them a long time to rebuild their strength.

 

[Cacique500]

I just went through this a couple weeks ago. I tried the ice in a ziplock in the nestbox and she sat on it overnight...had a ziplock full of water the next morning with a broody hen still sitting on it.

Then I did the water dunk in a mop bucket...cool water up to about mid-way on her chest and gently held her there for a few minutes. Then kept her out of the coop the rest of the day. The next day I was able to catch her in the morning and let her free range while the others layed their eggs...didn't let her back in until late afternoon. One or both of those things (separation from coop / dunking) seemed to break her.

I would've done the wire cage but didn't have one handy...it's on my short list for when this happens again.

We're about back to normal and the rest of the girls are starting to lay regularly again.