Where to place a broody breaker box?

[sunflour]

I'd go for the bigger size. There needs to be room in broody jail to move about and have food and water. You also never know when you'll need to house more than one, even to move them.

The bars of the cage aren't what cause bumble foot. It's an open wound that lets bacteria in. The bars are smooth so shouldn't puncture the foot.

Thanks for you opinion, gonna get it ordered.

But, I do worry about chickens getting foot injuries from wire on bottom of cages and just don't want to risk that. Slatted wood platform in bottom should work for broody busting.

The next trial is my worry about how the chicken will react to being placed in broody buster jail. Don't want her to cause self injuries. There are a few nightmare stories about such events. Guess if she goes bats then I would just get her out.

But at this point, I am more worried about not breaking the brood. Last time she sat almost 2 months!

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They hate it but they get over it. A towel over the cage calms them. It's all part of animal husbandry.
Leaving a broody stay broody is never a good idea. I have a friend that never broke her broody hens and she eventually spent $2,000 on vet bills for a turkey hen and she died anyway.

Actually wood can have splinters which are more likely to cause foot injury than smooth cage bars.

I have a pen with half covered in welded wire so I can grow forage for them and have never had a foot injury.
It's usually sharp things like nails, screws and splinters.

 

[aart]

I've got two large wire dog crates 43 x 27 x 30tall with one door on the end....from when I had 2 large dogs.
And a medium sized wire crate 24 x 17 x 19tall with a door in the side and on the end...side door is handy.
The large ones work well for longer confinement or even brooders, but hard to reach into to grab the chicken.

The medium one works great for broody buster, shorter confinements and for transport because I can pick it up by myself.

You really do need a wire bottom for broody busting, plus the poops fall thru.... it won't hurt their feet if there are no sharp edges exposed, I used 1x2 mesh fencing carefully cut to size and sharp edges ground down.

Bumble foot is an infection in a cut, a cut from anything(yes, wire but also thorns, sharp sticks, rocks, etc)

 

[sunflour]

Thanks to all who replied, got my new chicken jail/hospital box ordered….

 

[sunflour]

Hey, broody may break before box arrives. Only an hour after I made the decision and ordered the cage….Big Buff joined the flock this afternoon..on her own. She's back sitting nest tonite, but perhaps even the threat of chicken jail will solve the issue.

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They will come off the nest on a regular basis to eat, drink, stretch, defecate and dust bathe. It's usually daily but could be less frequently.