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MadAboutChooks

How to cope with a broody hen?

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Hi there have read a bit on this site about the best ways to deal with a broody hen, I gather it is either ride it out, or try and snap them out of it (ie icecubes, dunking in cold water etcl) My orpington is at the moment broody, and this is causing a real problem. Not only is she not laying but I am having trouble getting all the others to lay because she is in the nest box. I have been trying to shut her out by letting her freerange whilst the others are trying to lay, but this is causing a real problem as I am working and not around all the time. We have been persevering for 4 days, how long roughly before she gives up and returns to normal. I thought she would have given up by now!! is this likely to last for 3 weeks?? I am finding this really difficult to cope with. I :wall: I have tried to give her a cat box with straw but she is not interested in that! Should I continue to try and snap her out of it, or just give up?? Thank you for any replies.

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I had three broodies and only wanted two to hatch out chicks, I tackled one of the successfully in 3 days or so. I did cool her bum and legs with a gentle spray (but do make sure she is dried off) she then lived in my guinea pig run on roosting bars from the eglu - so she couldn't settle down and brood properly! She was re-introduced to the others in the late afternoon/evening when the other girls had finished laying and I shut up the cube so she couldn't go in. At night I let her go in the cube but again used the eglu roosting bars to fit over the nesting area so she couldn't sit there all night. She was very grumpy for a while but then started enjoying the free and single life of dust baths and worm hunts! Other people try different methods, but this worked for me and this hen - good luck!

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We had one go broody twice last year and used a dog crate on bricks for 3 days/nights each time which worked well. At the moment a different one is broody so we tried the same method however is not proving as effective :roll: We let her out yesterday after 3 days and she went straight into the cube :evil:, so we have put her back in the dog crate for another couple of days to see if that works.

 

So the same method obviously doesn't always work the same for different chickens.

 

Good luck with whatever you try. :D

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