The water dunking cured my broody!! (Update w/ PIC)

[redfeather]

Hmm ibwill have to try this next time o have a broody! About a week ao my 10 mo old pullet was broody but I cleaned the coop and started letting the chickens free range a bit more and after a few days of that (plus me always pulling her out o the box because she pecks so hard) she started foraging with the other girls.... But if I suddenly get another unwanted broody now I know what to do!

Sent from my iPod.

 

[KHoward]

Update #2 - Rita the Golden Comet

I dunked her again this morning (7 am) after collecting the eggs she was sitting on, and then closed the coop all day with all the girls in the yard. Tonight after dinner (6:30pm) I opened the coop again. Like Lightning McQueen she raced into the coop...sigh...I thought for sure that the dunk and not being able to get into the coop all day would do it?!

Now I am thinking about some extended cooling? I don't have a cage to suspend her in. Tonight it's going to be 61 on the overnight and I was considering leaving her outside the coop and in the completely fenced in yard, thinking that will cool her down but it won't be too cold overnight.

We are well into two weeks now and I would really like to break her of this broodiness.

Any other suggestions?

 

[al6517]

Quote:
I can see where some birds may be a little more stuborn about kicking the habit, my thought's are this from what you posted.
Your water isn't cold enough................. have enough water to fully emmerse the hen to the head, and make that tub filled with 2 bags of ice.
Second you may not be holding her in there long enough or improperly, hold her in there to the head keep her wings open but keep her from thrashing, you may need another set of hands. Keep her in there for 5 minutes the next time.
When you take her out put her somewhere like a cement slab or some sort of improvised cage for an hour, then dunk her again, do this for like 4-5 times in just a few hours.

Sometimes you just have to get a tad bit tough mentaly, if your not up to doing that OK that's fine, but you still gotta live with a broody hen. Putting the hen in some cold water isn't cruel despite what is sure to be an outrage to some pet chicken folks, but as the thread attest to it does work. keep trying you will get it just get tough and if the hen wins the battle, you may want to rethink your animal husbandry ideals, it ain't rocket science. Good luck to you.

 

[KHoward]

Thanks for the tips! I'm fine with making the water colder and dunking her a few times over the period of a few hours - I just didn't know how cold and how long, and didn't want to overdo it, if there was such a thing.

I'll give it another go!

 

[al6517]

Quote:
A 5 gal bucket will hold a GC just fine, I would put 1/2 a bag of ice in the bucket fill the rest with water and let it sit for 5 minutes to chill. A good way to hold the chicken is to grab both wings in one hand at the very base of the wings and hold them together, this way it cand flail it's wings. the cold water will get under those heat keeping wings or armpit's. leave her in and just watch her face/comb/wattles, use a slight up & down motion to agitate the the feathers and get the under down wet to the skin, that's the key.

WTS she won't freeze, she can't and the water ain't cold enough to make her freeze, you have to chill her core temp.

 

[KHoward]

Update #3 - Rita seems to no longer be broody

After dunking her several times the other day and then banning her from the coop, I decided to leave her outside on the overnight that same night since it was going to be cool. Yesterday morning she did not go into the coop when it was open, but I banned her from the coop all day anyway just to make sure. I left her outside again last night.

Today, I left the coop open for her and she did not go into the coop. So, I am hoping that she has returned to normal (now what am I going to do with this 5 lb. bag of ice ?!).

I suppose now the question is if/when she will start laying again.

Thank you all for your suggestions!

Kristen

 

[Tripp16]

She looks like "WHAT?!?!"

Also I too am from NC "HI Neighbor!!"

 

[hannakat]

Thank you ~ thank you for this thread! Last winter, my Gabby went broody and I put her in a pile of snow....she stood there for a while, then in an instant she came out of the broody trance, stepped out of the snow, pooped and went on with her life. She has been broody twice this summer

I put her in ice water last week but it didn't break her. After reading this thread, I revised my technique and did it again.... will see if I did it right and if she responds! Oh I hope so!

 

[FromOregon]

I have a small flock of 6, 6 mo pullets in our backyard "farm" - 2 RIR, 2 Speckled Sussex and 2 "bought Ameracaunas but they are probably EEs." One of my Ameraucana v. EEs, Olivia just went broody after laying for about 3 weeks. It has been a while since I had chickens, but never had one go broody this young before (after reading the threads it seems to happen quite a bit). She has only been at it about 3 days.. but has stayed on a nest through the nights and gets back to a nest after my attempts to disuade her by removing her and keeping her from the eggs. We just hit our first bit of cool fall weather with rain and wind and 60s during day (might hit 80s again on Thurs?) and I wonder if it is too cold to dunk her? Not sure if she would be able to dry back out. Also she doesn't really feel "setting hot" when I put my hand under her..

 

[Chickiemom25]

Glad to hear I am not the only one with a young americauna who refuses to come out and play!. I only got 2 weeks of eggs.