What do you do about broodies?

[45519]

I'm fed up with my broody girl Elizabeth. Already this year my super-broody girl Victoria sat in her nest box until she died on a day when it was 104 outside. The day before had been 105 and she got through it but 2 days was too much. Lesson learned for me about broody chickens in the heat.

Anyway, I've been taking Elizabeth off the nest non-stop. Up to 10 times a day. Darn bird turns right back around and gets back on it. She'll eat and drink and poop and even dust bathe a bit it seems, so at least she isn't suffering too much, but boy is she persistent. I've even sprayed her with the hose a few times to try and bother her a lot.

What's worked for you?

 

[runsw/scissors]

Remove her from the coop. Place her in a wire bottom cage with no nesting type materials, make sure she has food and water, but that's it! The object is for air to get to her vent to cool her off. That usually will work.

There is a thread in the meatie section about dunking your hen in cold water clear up to her neck. Evidently you'll need to keep her in the cold water for a few minutes. Again the object is to cool her off.

There are several threads here that give advice far better than I ever could...

Good luck, I know how frustrating it can be.

 

[45519]

Thanks. Well, my poor heat stroking girl is no more. I've been instructed to put a heat stroking chicken in luke-warm water and to circulate the water under her wings. After you cool her down a bit you can lower the water temp but putting a chicken in cold water when she is heat stroking can shock her.

I just need help with plain old normal broodies, when the weather is normal.

 

[Eggcessive]

My first experience breaking a broody 6 month old Mille fleur, I put her in a tiny chicken hutch outside with a wire floor during the day 3 days in a row. She slept in the nest box at night in the coop, but after 3 days in the pen she finally quit nesting.