Chili Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 I've just realised that my Light Sussex hen is exhibiting broody behaviour. There are lots of feathers in the nest box, she takes hours to "lay" an egg and now I have shut her out of the hen house she keeps trying to get back in. Its difficult to keep her out of the nest box though as I have 2 other hens that need to lay. She is still laying so I guess it's in the early stages. Does anybody have any advice on how to snap her out of it quickly please Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stevie Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 Omlet recomend plunging the bird into a bucket of cold water to lower their body temperature.Their temp rises slightly when broody so this method does seem to make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 hi, I've just posted this reply on a thread of the same subject - Our Star has been broody for 3 weeks! We tried the broody pen but it didnt work, hubby made up a small pen with a mesh bottom for the hen to sit in - it might work for you though. The key is trying to bring down her temperature so the broody pen has to be able to have air circulating underneath the hen. We have also tried the dunking in a bucket of water method - quickly dunking the hen in cold water (bit extreme I know) but this also didnt work, We have now left her to get on with it. We turf her out of the nestbox several times a day so she gets out and about and eats and drinks, the main thing is to make sure your hen is getting food and water in her even if its just a little bit. I read in a book that a hen sitting on eggs will allow herself 20 minutes to leave the eggs anyway to get food and water. hope your girl snaps out of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 I put frozen blue ice packs in the nest when mine went broody, and turfed her out as often as I could, so that the others could lay. It took about 4 days to snap her out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisa33 Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 The broody cage worked when Bobbi and Cynthia went broody, but the other methods didn't. I think it's just a matter of trying anything and hoping something works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 because I didnt have any frozen ice blocks I did sit Star on a bag of frozen runner beans...she thoroughly defrosted them ....but it still didnt work!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen & co. Posted April 6, 2008 Share Posted April 6, 2008 My cochin Boots has been broody for ages I didn't try to stop her, but just kept lifting her out for a dring and something to eat. Saturday she started to come out of the nest area voluntarily and today she hasn't been near, so she has now stopped Karen x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanters Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I have had many a broody hen and different approaches have worked for differnt birds. Some have taken a day to break others have taken 3 weeks. My most successful method was to allow all the hens to lay (which is usually mid- morning up to lunchtime) then place plant pots or footballs in the nest boxes to prevent the broody girl access and leave the obstructions there till the following morning then remove them to allow egg laying to continue. Broody hens like warm an dark areas to nest so try to remove at least one of those elements and you should be able to snap them out of it. Don't give up on your methods, some broody hens can be extremely stubborn but will eventually give up. Hope this helps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 Thanks for all the advice guys. She is currently sat in the nest box happily incubating 2 frozen ice packs I have opened the hen house door and the door to the nest box so her bottom is blowing in the wind and it is very light and airy in there. If this doesn't work nothing will ps can't believe how my cutesy fluffy bottomed hen has turned into a hissing spitting tiger the size of a bungalow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanters Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 ps can't believe how my cutesy fluffy bottomed hen has turned into a hissing spitting tiger the size of a bungalow Ha yeah, they can be right little terrors. Not long after I first had my hens one of them decided to nest on the floor and every time I opened the door she's hiss and fluff up. I wanted to clean the coop out, attempted to pick her up and got a nasty warning so resorted to nudging her with a soft broom...not even that worked and the broom got a beak full! I then resorted to just biting my lip and picking her up...it wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. I managed to get her out of her broody phase by building a false floor using and wooden frame and chicken wire. After a short inspection and clearly showing signs of disgust with the contraption she snootily marched out of the coop and joined the others outside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 My Annie is broody again Last time I tried the sin bin, dunking in cold water, chucking her up in the air none of it worked, so I let her get on with it. This time I wait until Winnie has laid then I turf the nasty pecky broody one off the nest and shut the Eglu door so she can't get back in again, she freeranges quite happily but every half an hour she rushes back into the run and peers through the ventilation holes in the Eglu I can't understand why she is broody as the weather is really very cold at the moment. Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bronze Posted April 7, 2008 Share Posted April 7, 2008 I dunked two of my girls yesterday for all the good it did. Tomorrow its the cage ( why do I feel like typing mwahhahahaha after that?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Posted April 7, 2008 Author Share Posted April 7, 2008 LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsh Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 I also have a broody hen Alma, a wyandotte, which I realise "tend to broodiness"! I only have two hens and a small Eglu, so if she is hogging the nest box , the other hen Dusty, has to lay on the bars or on the floor. If I shoo her out and shut the door, the other can't lay in the house. A problem with only one nest box. They free range in the garden, are not shut in the run, so don't want Dusty laying out. At the moment Alma is shut up in a cat crate, an all wire one,so hoping this will work. On day 3 now. This is my first post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flo Posted April 21, 2008 Share Posted April 21, 2008 My pepperpot was broody for about 3 weeks last year. We decided that as long as she was eating and drinking we weren't going to worry about it too much. When we were around all day we would pick her up off the nest and try to cool her tummy down, but she got very cross with us and found another spot to sit down on! I couldn't face dunking her in cold water or making a broody cage so we just let her get on with it. Once they had both laid in the morning we shut the eglu, but she would just make a nest anywhere she could find! All of a sudden after three weeks she got up, had a shake and was done with it. Is there any reason why you should/shouldn't encourage a broody hen to stop? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrsh Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Just thought I would let you know, Alma is out of the crate and no longer broody.I hated torturing her but it worked, three days in the cat crate propped up on wooden blocks and she shot out OK.She still hasn't laid an egg but at least she isn't blocking the one nest box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tessa the Duchess Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 That is amazingly quick Well done you for sticking it out, it must have been a hard thing to do. My Annie has been broody for exactly one month today Next time it happens it's the broody crate for her, I think it's too late to try it now Tessa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen&Lee Posted April 27, 2008 Share Posted April 27, 2008 Doris must have been broody for about a month now too I have seen her out and about a bit more over the weekend but two others went broody last weekend and I think she is tempted by the company in the nesting box Thats three broody brahmas in the nesting box and whenever the others want to lay they squeeze themselves in aswell I'm going to sort out a broody cage to stop them as they start in future, Doris has lost so much weight... Helen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Posted April 29, 2008 Author Share Posted April 29, 2008 Aaargh!! My silly light sussex hen has only just come out of the last broody phase and now she is going into another one This time it will have to be the broody cage. I understand it has to of a wire construction to allow the air to flow underneath, but how long do I leave her in there and do I leave her in there continuously, not letting her out to roost with the others at night? Advice welcomed please Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Egluntyne Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 This time it will have to be the broody cage. I understand it has to of a wire construction to allow the air to flow underneath It is. You could use a wire dog crate. Raise it up on bricks so that cool air wafts underneath. how long do I leave her in there and do I leave her in there continuously, not letting her out to roost with the others at night? Leave her there for three or four days, that is usually enough, continuously...even at night. You might want to place the broody cage in the run or in a shed at night.....just in case Monsieur Reynard is about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chanters Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 Is there any reason why you should/shouldn't encourage a broody hen to stop? When a hen is sitting in her broody phase she will be less active, not feeding and drinking regularly and she will begin to lose condition. If she loses condition it will take her longer to get back in to egg-laying shape and may also affect her general health (due to lack of nutrients and exercise etc). I always try to discourage broodiness and would only encourage it if I wanted to breed chooks. I've seen broody hens on someones estate where they've nested in some hay bales and just left to get on with it. The condition of the poor things was terrible. They were underweight, looked disheveled and were there for around a month. I can't imagine their immune system would be at its optimum after going through that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jules Posted April 29, 2008 Share Posted April 29, 2008 My fenning sussex went broody last week and lisa kindly lent me her broody cage. For the first couple of nights I get Tilda back in the eglu at night which was a mistake as there was no improvement so I was brave and left her in the cage (with cardboard around) in the walk in run overnight and within 3 days she was out of it! Tilda had previously gone broody and without the use of the cage took a good month to get her out of it. Julia xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chili Posted May 3, 2008 Author Share Posted May 3, 2008 Well after days of looking like an overgrown marshmellow, my silly broody hen is now outside in her broody cage DH and I constructed it this afternoon out of weldmesh, I grabbed her cackling and complaining out of the nestbox and shoved her into it. Needless to say she is not overly impressed. I just hope this works Chickens - who'd have 'em? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted May 4, 2008 Share Posted May 4, 2008 I know how you feel. I've just gone 3 long weeks with a broody cochin and she just came out of it and now the other cochin has gone broody!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinkybijou Posted May 6, 2008 Share Posted May 6, 2008 I'm so glad I found this thread! Our Dora has today gone broody. I hadn't realized Wyandotte's have a tendency ! I noticed a few short feathers in the hay in the Eglu nesting box yesterday and today while Doris had a freerange in the garden noticed that Dora was in the nesting box. I lifted her bum and found two eggs there (one Doris's and one Dora's) and thought it was weird because normally she comes straight out after doing her egg. I took her out of the nesting box and got pecked and checked her in case she was ill, and found that under her fluffy bum there's a big bald patch! I hope this is normal, and to do with warming eggs or something?? I've left a plantpot in the nesting box tonight and shall be trying the ice packs tomorrow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
