Why now Missy????

[BigBlueHen53]

Why didnt you give her some eggs ??
Just curious

The first year, I let all of them set on eggs and hatch out chicks. Got 8. This took them out of production their whole first year. I mean they had barely started laying when they went broody that spring, and they spent the whole summer raising chicks. Fall came and they molted, then took the winter off. They did the same thing the following spring. Laid about 8 eggs each and decided to go broody. I spent that summer repeatedly breaking them of broodiness. Probably got a dozen or so eggs out of each of them. The third year, started all over again. They were so determined to set, they lost weight and condition. I gave up. I want layers. Oh, and of all the chicks they hatched, I ended up with one live cockerel. Hawks got the rest. He is a lovely rooster, but still.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

Oh, you mean my Black Aussie? Same thing. Waste of a good layer.

 

[aart]

I don’t have a way to “break” her and her be properly sheltered from the elements. So, I set up a nesting box inside the barn instead of outside under my hay loft and made the difficult swap from outside to the box.

Why not put the breaker crate in the barn

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Why not put the breaker crate in the barn

Because it’s on five ft stilts like a raised box and I don’t trust the dogs to leave her alone. Plus I don’t think she’ll stop in there I think she’d just sit in there.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Maybe try hanging the broody cage if you have some crossbeams you can suspend it from? Seems a bit extreme but apparently that's how folks used to handle it.

 

[Dragongoddess]

My silkies are almost constantly broody. I haven’t figured out how to make them stop, I just place them out of the box and take the eggs. Guess it’s different with small fuzzy chickens, they can’t do much damage.

 

[aart]

Because it’s on five ft stilts like a raised box and I don’t trust the dogs to leave her alone. Plus I don’t think she’ll stop in there I think she’d just sit in there.

Height doesn't matter for a broody breaker as long as you can easily reach it.
...and if the dog is problem, her setting and hatching in the shed would also be a danger?

 

[Oncoming Storm]

Height doesn't matter for a broody breaker as long as you can easily reach it.
...and if the dog is problem, her setting and hatching in the shed would also be a danger?

No, they love chicks and are super gentle. I’m afraid they would knock it over and hurt themselves or the birds. Plus, I’ve closed the stall she’s sitting in so they can’t mess with her.

 

[aart]

No, they love chicks and are super gentle. I’m afraid they would knock it over and hurt themselves or the birds. Plus, I’ve closed the stall she’s sitting in so they can’t mess with her.

Thinking you'd just rather have the broody hatch chicks, instead of breaking her.