4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Scooby]

Our japanese bantam has gone broody! We've been chucking her off the nest box everytime we go out and boy does she complain.

 

I don't mind letting her get on with it really, there's plenty of room for the other to lay whilst she's in there, but slightly worried now though as she doesn't appear to have eaten much today and I haven't seen her drink anything.

 

Anything I can do apart from ejecting her every couple of hours?

 

Any suggestions welcome.

[Scooby]

I've ejected her again this morning but she was back in there half an hour ago when I checked again.

 

I've put a small bowl of pellets next to her. Don't really know what else to do.

 

Without dunking her in a bucket of cold water (which I'm sure I read about somewhere on the forum) what else can I try?

 

Thanks

[Snowy]

Poor Flo!

You have to try to cool them down Scooby, so you could try wrapping a freezer pack in a tea towel and putting in the nest box so she sits on it. The alternative, if you can't face dunking her, is a broody cage. A wire cage suspended so that air can circulate all around her. Pop her in during the day with some food and water and let her roost as normal at night. Most people who've tried this say it has worked after about 3 days.

 

I have 2 who are desperately trying to go broody but at the moment I am just turfing them of the nest. They are giving up easily at the moment, but I think I will also have to try one of these soon!

[Christian]

Sorry to hear that Flo is broody

 

As Snowy suggests, the ice pack trick or broody cage should work. It is important to kick her off the nest at least once a day so she can eat and drink. Is there any way to block off the nest box for 1/2 hour so she can't sit?

[Scooby]

Thanks Snowy.

 

At the moment we have no freezer as we're in the process of getting a new kitchen, so I'd like to try the wire cage method.

 

Any ideas were I can pick one of these up?

 

Failing that, it's a trip round my dad's to ask if he happens to have a freezer pack I can borrow.

 

I might do as you suggest Christian and block off the nest box. I didn't think I could do this as it would stop the others (other ) laying but I'm sure she can cross her legs for half an hour!

 

Thanks again

[Christian]

Sorry Scooby, just realised you have a cube.

 

Shut the cube door at say 5 o'clock and kick her out for awhile. It might work?

 

Any type of wire/plastic crate will work as long as they are enough air holes for the breeze to flow through. Try pets at home for a wire cat crate or freecycle?

 

 

All the best

[Scooby]

oh - pets at home I'll be off there now - thanks

[Lizzy]

I can sympathise with Scooby, Daisy has decided to go broody and normally after a couple of days with my other hens, they give up. Daisy is being very persistent and has turned really aggressive now. I keep turfing her off but she goes straight back again. It's not easy to shut her out of the broody area because the other two lay there. I am going to try the ice pack trick and see if that works. I feel really awful doing this but as we have no cockerel and I have taken the eggs away from her, there is no point in her sitting there and starving. Right I must away to the freezer, wish me luck.

[Tessa the Duchess]

I really do sympathise with all broody hen owners. Annie is now into her 5th week of being broody, I am at my wits end Winnie, my other chicken lays very early in the morning, so I chuck Annie off the nest box around 8.00am and close the Eglu door, she just sits right next to the door like some Victorian lady wearing a huge crinoline dress She does eat a bit and drink sometimes, but she is absolutely no fun whatsoever. The only things that gets her interest are sultanas Good luck to anyone trying a broody cage or similar.

 

Tessa

[Scooby]

Decided against getting a carrier from pets at home, I didn't feel they were quite right somehow.

 

Anyway, I've turfed poor Flo back out this morning and closed the cube door. I've watched her from the window and she has eaten a few pellets and drank some water so I feel happier now.

 

I'll go and open the door again now and close it again later so she can eat something before bed.

 

In the meantime I will be seeing my Dad so will put a freezer pack in his freezer ready for tomorrow (we have no freezer at the moment due to kitchen refurbishment ).

[Lizzy]

Well it is good news from here. I put an iceblock wrapped in a tea towel in her nesting box. I must admit I have ths scars on the back of my hand from when she took exception to me moving her. However she has come off brood, it took her all day but eventually she came out and started eating. In the evening she went down the garden to peck on the compost heap with the others. She is still a bit miserable and growls at me but then that is to be expected. She went to bed on her own and this morning she walked right past the box and came up to the house for her breakfast. So I am keeping everything crossed that it worked. Next time I shall be on the ball and will do the ice block thing when she shows signs of going into brood.

 

Scooby I do hope you are successful, it is awful watching a hen fade away and for no good reason. When I picked Daisy up she had lost so much weight in the few days she had not eaten.

[Scooby]

Thanks Lizzy, I have to say a big thank you to Snowy who suggested the ice pack thing as this also seems to have worked for little Flo. I put it in the nest box after lunch yesterday and she sat on it all day.

 

When it got dark I turfed her off and blocked off the nest box all night.

 

This morning she has come straight out with the others and hasn't gone back in! Result!

 

She is making funny little chirping noises constantly though. I don't know what this means. Maybe she is just voicing her complains at me

[Tessa the Duchess]

I decided yesterday that enough is enough with this stupid broody hen of mine, so I borrowed some ice packs from a neighbour and put one in the nest box this morning and let her sit on it. I went to check on her this afternoon and she was sitting on the roosting bars looking very ticked off I just can't win with her

 

Tessa