Talk to me about broody chickens

[Chr2241130]

It probably would be best to break her now, and let her set in cooler weather. She will definitely be broody again.

Put her in a wire bottom crate slightly elevated off the ground for 3-7 days. She will be upset so put her somewhere cool. If she's like my bantams she will be broody again in about 6 weeks.

How will I know she isn't broody anymore?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

How will I know she isn't broody anymore?

On day 3 I release them. If they go back to the nest it's back to the cage for another few days. Sometimes you can tell as they stop making that clucking noise, but the real test is returning to the nest.

 

[aart]

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, and maybe a chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost', but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) 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. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.