Miss Behavin Posted June 10, 2011 Share Posted June 10, 2011 Help! Any advice welcome...one of our hens (bought as POL in April) has been broody for over 3 weeks now. We have been making sure she drinks and eats and keeping her out of the nest in the day. We tried to nip it in the bud with a cold spray with a hosepipe, but i think we were too late to stop the hormones kicking in. Last night we put a brick in the nest overnight and she has tried to hatch it! It's not just her that is an issue now, because she hogs the nest until i can seperate her in the morning our other 2 hens have stopped laying. Should i take an offer of some fertile eggs for her to hatch? I didn't want to at first as i thought it would affect the group dynamics, which were really good. Any advice welcome. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miss Behavin Posted June 13, 2011 Author Share Posted June 13, 2011 Bump. Please, any advice gratefully received...we are getting desparate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jools Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Have a peek at this thread Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppy ben grace Posted June 13, 2011 Share Posted June 13, 2011 Hi, i have a broody at the moment and have given her some fertile eggs to try to hatch. If you dont want any chicks i would try and borrow a broody pen(rabbit hutch would do). Pop her in and at least then your other hens can use the nest box. Carry on lifting her off to eat and drink a few times a day. Theres not much else you can do im afraid. i know its a pain but thats nature for you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sradams1977 Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I was in the same situation last week with a broody barnevelder who had been sat for 3 weeks plus. She was starting to loose condition and looked like she was loosing weight. I spent hours looking around the forums and the best advice seemed to be buying/building a broody box. My dad came around and suggested dunking her in water as this is apparently an old "tried and tested" remedy and to my surprise it worked after 2 days and 6 dunks. The hen was very docile and did not seem to put up any fuss which was surprising as this is normally a hen I can not get close to at all. I held her in the bucket for about 2 mins per time and then put her back in the run and closed the eglu door so she could not sit on the nest. I hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 Do be careful when dunking birds, its not unknown for them to die of the shock and they could catch a chill even on a warm day Simply removing access to the nest box should be enough to break a broody, a raised broody crate where the cool air can whistle up the bottom of the chook is even better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kinsk Posted June 14, 2011 Share Posted June 14, 2011 I have the sme problem. Have tried shutting her out so she can't get on the nest, luckily the other one has kept laying and just wiggles enough of her self onto the nesting box to drop and egg and then goes back out. At night I put one of the spare grey plastic roosting bars over the nest box bit to keep her off it, but still she isn't giving up. I am about to resort to the dunking in a bucket of water method tonight. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donna C Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 I have two orps who seems to be taking it in turns to go broody I put them in broody cage (a dog crate) for three days and seems to help, until other one wants a go u Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beach chick Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 a raised broody crate where the cool air can whistle up the bottom of the chook is even better poor girls, how mean we are! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouldercroft Posted June 15, 2011 Share Posted June 15, 2011 The ikea broody pen really works! Rita is cured and is back to her normal lovely self after 3 weeks of broodiness http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=78946 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
