Chicken boarders

[meganpip]

Hello all,

 

We have our first broody hen at the moment and she is a proper madam.

Unfortunately we have only the two in an eglu go and her occupation of the nest means the other one can't get in to lay.

Does anyone have any advice for breaking her out of this and allowing her friend to carry on laying?

We got an egg apiece yesterday and we think she started the broodiness on Saturday.

We have only had the one egg today so I am not sure if it is Miss Broody or her friend.

 

Help please, I have placed a brick in the nest and that has shifted her for the moment but it does not allow the other one to lay either.

 

Help please,

 

Matt

[TutuTallulah]

Hi Matt,

 

I am a novice at this so I am sure someone will come along shortly who can be of more assistance!

 

There is lots of advice on what to do with a broody hen if you type 'broody hen' into the search bar.

 

What type of hen is she? I believe some breeds are more prone than others.

 

I have a Speckeldy hybrid who went seriously broody. She fluffed herself up and flattened herself out to take up as much space as possible and gave me a right 'bok bok' telling off whenever I tried to move her!

 

so...

 

My other 2 hens laid early in the morning so I turfed her out of the nest box and blocked the pop hole. She just went and plopped herself down somewhere nice under a tree until night when I allowed her back to bed and then there she was the next morning sat proudly on top of the other 2 hens eggs they had kindly laid for her. I tried this for 3 weeks with no success....

 

 

so...

 

I dunked her bum / chest in a trug of cold water 3 - 4 times a day. A further 2 weeks with no success....

 

so...

 

I reluctantly ordered a puppy crate which worked out at the equivalent cost of 10 dozen eggs! OH was none too impressed. It arrived last Thursday afternoon, so then I spent more money on a small drinker / feeder to go inside. I thought that's it Daisy - you're off to Hen prison on saturday afternoon for 3 days to break this habit once on for all!!

 

so...

 

Friday morning I go to let the girls out of the WIR expecting to turf Daisy out as usual, and there she is pecking about with the others! Eggs in box are stone cold!! SHE'S STOPPED BEING BROODY!!!

 

so...

 

Now I have one very expensive, very unused puppy crate - but I'm saving it for next time when she's going straight in - no messing about.

 

My advice is don't faff for as long as I did - try and break the broodiness asap.

 

Hope this helps a little x

[meganpip]

Thanks very much. I have tried the dunking already and she is not keen. Have a brick in the nest for tonight but we are not in all day so we have to let the non broody hen lay in the nest.

 

Don't realy want to splash out on a broody box if possible but if it is the only way...

 

Thank you for your help

from meganpip xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[AJuff]

My spekeldy was really broody a week ago. I turfed her off the nest as often as possible but she just kept returning to it. I removed all eggs as soon as they were laid. Eventually I shut her up in the shed for a day and that snapped her out of it a she had nowhere to sit except the cold ground!

[sparkysmum]

Hi We have a persistently broody pekin who is currently in a broody cage, (borrowed dog crate) I absolutely hate doing this as it feels simply cruel but I had been keeping her out of the hen house for more than a week and she was still broody. I just feel that with the weather changing it is in her best interests to snap her out of broodiness now. I'm crossing my fingers that it will work. We're on day two. I hope she's OK. Alli xx

[migsy]

Tutu - I have a Speckledy who is broody at the moment. Yours was broody for a long time! Think I might try the shed trick. I didn't know Speckledies were prone to broodiness as I thought hybrids didn't really go broody. Seems I was wrong!

[figarogir1]

My speckledy hybrid went broody twice this year and the only thing that worked was a broody cage I tried everything else because I feel guilty putting her in there but it really does seem to be the only way for her!

[TutuTallulah]

I didn't realise Speckeldys were so broody either!

 

I have only had her since early July (POL) and she spent 6 weeks since then being broody!!

 

I will definitely 'be cruel to be kind' next time and pop her in the cage for 3 days straight away. She looks terrible - her comb is all shrivelled and pale (my main concern), but we have also missed out on 6 weeks worth of eggs.

 

Many years ago I had pure breeds and the only ones who went broody were the Sikies, this time I thought I would get some hens that would earn their keep a little more - I didn't bargain for a broody hybrid! Still love her to bits though, she's a sweetie