what is the LONGEST it took you to break a broody hen??

[technodoll]

I'm going crazy here, never seen anything like it.

Silkie hen, 8 months old, been in the broody breaker cage for almost a month now (full wire crate with wire bottom, on legs, brightly lit, she has food and water and a radio to keep her company and that's it).

The longest I ever had a hen in there was 10 days, and that was her mum.

She's not broody enough to sit on eggs UNLESS she's in her tiny summer coop with her flock (I tested her twice), it is not possible for her to have chicks there so I really really have to break her hormones so she can finally get back to her flock, she's lonely and moans all the time... so pitiful.

I have tried to give her eggs to sit on in the Baby Condo but she won't hear of it.

She's not going in the "trance-like" state needed to sit on eggs where I want her to brood, she just paces and wants out, but it's all she wants to do when she's with her flock.

Is she breaking some kind of record here or have you seen worse??

 

[Judy]

4 months, and only by giving her live chicks. She was a Kraienkoppe, which, like Silkies, tend to be very broody.

I've given up trying to break them. I lift them out of the nest at least twice a day and pester them til they go outside and start eating and foraging. This seems to be enough to prevent weight loss. Usually they stay broody a month or so.

 

[technodoll]

Quote:
4 months???

so... maybe i'll start an incubation and if she's still humpy when they hatch i'll give her some chicks...

but when what happens when her next cycle hits? go through all of this again?

 

[PetRock]

I have a Black Australorp who went broody last May. We don't have a rooster and I didn't want to spend money on shipped eggs that might or might not hatch so I slipped three day old chicks under her at night. She took right to them and was the best mama for about 4 weeks and then she ditched them and went back to laying. That lasted for less than 2 months and then she went broody again. Nothing discourages her from sitting in the next box. I decided not to give her any more chicks since she would probably stop raising them about the time it is really cold at night. It has been almost 3 months now, she is molting, and she just won't give up that nest box. We pull her off the nest 2 or 3 times a day so she can eat and boss the rest of the flock around. I sure hope that she eventually stops.

 

[technodoll]

wow, PetRock, that isn't encouraging at all... what the heck am i going to do with this lady??

 

[Knock Kneed Hen]

I am rejoicing because my little Bantam Naked Neck hen finally got off the nest this week. She's been sitting on it since the end of June!!!

 

[ChooksChick]

I have multiple small runs and coops for infirmaries or broody houses, and I've learned that if I move a hen to the location furthest from her normal home the intant she gets broody, she'll snap out of it.

I make sure they aren't near friends, have a run and good space, food, water...everything else is normal for them. They are just in unfamiliar space, and that freaks them out enough.

I have one hen that will hatch, raise them for 4 weeks, then lay 2 eggs and go back to sitting. She has 3 different ages of chicks with her right now, and I am just letting her do her thing. I bet if you left yours in the broody cage with eggs she'd be back to in within 2 days. How long have you let her be locked up with them?

 

[technodoll]

Quote:
I've decided to let mademoiselle just do her thing, I'm tired of fighting her.

So I put her back in the summer coop, she took 0.5 seconds to settle herself in HER nesting box and I gave her a few possibly fertile eggs (marked with X's), we'll see what happens.

She'll either bring the babies to term like a good mama and then I'll transfer everyone to the Baby Condo so she can raise the chicks, OR she'll walk off the eggs before chicks hatch and that will be that.

Either way I'm ok with it, I do want more silkie chicks so it's either in 3 weeks or later

 

[al6517]

5 minutes, I use a different method and don't have the time to jack around with broody's so I cure that stuff quick.

 

[technodoll]

Quote:
Yeah, kill all the broody hens... that's brilliant