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

[brambles]

My speckledy has been semi broody ever since she began laying for the first time 3 weeks ago!

 

Lots of pulled out feathers and staying absolutely ages in the nest box on the other girls' eggs - up to 2-3 hours at a time. She's now really growly and puffs her feathers up when I hoick her out of the nest box (wearing gardening gloves) to try to snap her out of it and to get the eggs.

 

So ... is it a rear end dunk into cold water, or do I do as a chicken keeping friend has suggested and put her in the run but not allow her into the hen house for a day - what on earth will she do when she wants to lay?

 

If I do the dunk, how long do I hold her rear end (and stomach?) in the cold water for and do I dry her off afterwards?

 

[buffie]

Well if she's fully broody she'll not lay so that's easy I find that up to 5 days off the nest ( locked in a run off the nest) usually does the trick or for a persistent girl a bit longer.

 

It let's nature takes it's course but keeps them in fine fettle.

 

Buffie x

[quickcluck]

When I dunked I held her in just for a while and sprinkled her with water. I did it on a sunny day so didnt dry her off, there's a pic on her somewhere!

[Valkyrie]

With Apache I had to wait until she and Sioux had laid an egg - then I shut the cube door. She did whinge and kept trying to climb up, but got over it fairly quickly. Today she laid but went back in to be unceremoniously hoiked out. Luckily there was a breeze and it was drizzling - cooled her down in no time. They seem to take it in turns to go broody, then I'll have a couple of normal days and then back to tricks again. Luckily for them I haven't needed to put them in the sin bin yet.

[Griffin]

I have the opposite problem, I have a semi broody and I want to know how to turn her into a full on broody