Way too broody!! any advice?

[WickedChicksNH]

Luna my Cochin Bantam has gone broody about 2 months ago. she is a little over a year old, but her broodiness has got out of control.
I tried putting her in a little water (I read it on line) it said it will bring down their body temp, and yesterday was a good day for it as it was in the 90s and wicked humid. she actually liked it and let me just hold her there while she cooled off, even stayed there by herself for a min,

Then she went and ate scratched around I was like great. then bam gone back into the nest.

So today I was like OK I will block her from getting in her coop (she isn't even sitting on eggs anymore I have been taking them and no new eggs since yesterday, she was taking my other hen's eggs)

I cooled her in some water, just up to her bum, she enjoyed it took her out after 30 seconds, and she went and enjoyed herself I gave her fresh tomatoes and berries, she has shade, food, water etc
I shut the coop door. half hour later she was in a panic because she couldn't get in her coop,

I found her in the Ducks bed which is a whole different pen which she has to do chicken acrobats to get to, I took her out she would go back into their pen to find a way to get into her pen,


I have 4 ducks and 2 young chickens in my other pen, she goes in there and starts being mean to them because she is broody.

this is not my sweet luna I used to know.

It has come to the point she will not get out at all unless i take her out.

I finally after a few hours let her back in her coop, my NH Red was even having a mild heart attack because she couldn't get in the coop and she never stays in her coop except to sleep

Any other suggestions?
Thank you

 

[Cellomama2]

Broody jail. A wire bottom cage like a rabbit cage so the air can get to her stomach. I guess it usually takes 3-7 days depending on the chicken. I have a silkie that I can't break who keeps getting other ones to go broody too now but I'm hoping it will work with the others now. One is absolutely evil but has changed her tune at least a little since being in jail for two days so far.

 

[nightowl223]

Broody jail, for sure. Banty Cochins are almost as bad about going broody as Silkies are. I generally just let them hatch a batch of little ones, though, as that seems to break them the most effectively until those babies are old enough to take care of themselves. Then, if we accidentally leave more than 2 eggs in a nest, they're at it again! It's just part of having Banty Cochins.

 

[Cellomama2]

Yup. I let my silkie hatch some eggs and 7 weeks from when they hatched was round two already. Now I'm getting worried about her though because she is loosing weight and nothing is breaking her.

 

[nightowl223]

Yup. I let my silkie hatch some eggs and 7 weeks from when they hatched was round two already. Now I'm getting worried about her though because she is loosing weight and nothing is breaking her.

When they do that, I move them and their eggs, somewhere where i can put a feeder and waterer right next to the nest, so they dont even have to move to eat and drink. I've done that since losing a broody because she starved herself.

 

[aart]

So you've let her set for 2 months without hatching?
Time for broody jail, might take longer if she's set that long,
and if it's hot wetting her belly before crating would be a good idea

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.
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 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.

 

[WickedChicksNH]

thank you all,
I do have a the same crate and same size I will try that. nothing else seems to be working.
I was going to just get some fertile eggs from my neighbor and give them to Luna and see if hatching those will help

 

[Cellomama2]

When they do that, I move them and their eggs, somewhere where i can put a feeder and waterer right next to the nest, so they dont even have to move to eat and drink. I've done that since losing a broody because she starved herself.

She's not even sitting on anything! She's just nuts but I do plan on moving her into another jail with the food and water right next to her. Don't think I'll personally be doing silkies again, not at all what i expected. Actualy thinking of rehoming her to someone who does want the crazy dedicated mom type since she would be great for them.

 

[Cellomama2]

thank you all,
I do have a the same crate and same size I will try that. nothing else seems to be working.
I was going to just get some fertile eggs from my neighbor and give them to Luna and see if hatching those will help

I did that with mine and she was so great at trying to protect them that even when we'd try to change her food and water she would go after us and was teaching the chicks to do that as well. I pray that you have better luck than I did.

 

[nightowl223]

She's not even sitting on anything! She's just nuts but I do plan on moving her into another jail with the food and water right next to her. Don't think I'll personally be doing silkies again, not at all what i expected. Actualy thinking of rehoming her to someone who does want the crazy dedicated mom type since she would be great for them.

They don't realize they're nuts, though - it's all hormones and blind instinct at that point. The broody-breaking jail does work well with Banty Cochins when you don't want them to be broody, and they don't get the hint. They're almost as bad as Silkies about going broody. Just don't ever let more than one or two eggs sit for more than half a day, though, unless it's late fall, or they'll go broody again. If it helps, as they get older, the hormones do settle down a bit, and the broody drive does lighten up (at least in Banty Cochins - I assume it would be the same in any other hyper-broody breed, too).