AgaSaga Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 Hi One of my hens has been broody for about 3 half wks now. At first I tried all the tips to jolt her out of her broodiness but they didnt work so i thought Id just leave her to it. I take her off the other girls eggs first thing in the morning and remove them and lift her out of the nesting box and put her outside. I thought she would have come out of it by now or should I be doing something else? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 The only thing that really works for me is the 'dog-crate' treatment. The crate needs to be off the ground so air circulates under it as well as around it. I raise mine up on bricks. Your broody needs to be in the crate 24/7 (no letting her back in the coop at night) with a small amount of food and plenty of water. The air flow under the crate cools her body temperature and she can't get comfortable. 3 days like that, and they snap out of it. Sounds a bit harsh, but it does work (I have Pekins and Orpington's, both breeds are extremely prone to broodiness). In theory, now your girl has done 3 weeks, she should stop within another 10 days or so anyway, as that's well past the time it would take for eggs to hatch (eggs take 21 days to hatch). Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted July 8, 2011 Share Posted July 8, 2011 We do the same with our Sussex bantam - it works very well: 3 full days and 3 nights and she's ok again. The cage has enough space for her food, water, and room for her to walk around and stretch. We put the cage on bricks for air to circulate and leave her in there day and night (unless she's out in the garden with us) - that way she can't make a 'nest' on the floor. We also put a thin cover over it on a night so no foxes can see her (and vice versa!). We're lucky in that she's in a WIR anyway, so she's nice and safe overnight. Every other way to snap her out of broodiness fails with her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgaSaga Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 Thanks for all your advice - I think I might as well wait it out on this occasion but I'll be ready prepared for action the next time it happens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouldercroft Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Thanks for all your advice - I think I might as well wait it out on this occasion but I'll be ready prepared for action the next time it happens! you may be a long time waiting - egg hatching is about 21days and then there is no guarantee that she'll give up after that my IKEA prison cell method worked brilliantly - give it a go... http://club.omlet.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=78946 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AgaSaga Posted July 9, 2011 Author Share Posted July 9, 2011 That broody coop is brilliant - I can see that I am going to have to take action. She's started plucking her feathers out again to line the nest box which worries me that she's in it for the long haul! Thanks everyone Pam Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hazel Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Hi I tried the broody box for 3 days and 3 nights but Carmen went straight back into full broody. Unfortunately, we had to go on holiday for 2 weeks then and so she has just done 2 weeks on the nest. My neighbour gave her food and water every day (she gave it in little paper cups which Carmen happily put underneath her thinking they were eggs! ). We're back now. If we try to break her out of it, is there a danger that somehow we could reset her and she would start the broodiness from scratch? Like AgaSaga, I wonder if it would be best just to let this one run its course? What do you think? Hazel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 I'd have another bash at getting her out of it. When they go broody the hen stops looking after herself as much, so unless she has eggs to hatch, it's best to snap her out of it. Try 4 days and 4 nights! Make sure she cage is on bricks so air can circulate. During the day she should remain in it also otherwise she'll lay on the floor and try and hatch some concrete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Old Hazel Posted July 9, 2011 Share Posted July 9, 2011 Thanks for that. I forgot to say she is a very very aggressive lady. She's an araucana and is ferocious. When we got her out to eat something before we went on holiday, she attacked everyone and everything around her and challenged our head hen in a nasty s"Ooops, word censored!"! Next time we'll try to catch it early! Hazel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atsw Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Thanks for that. I forgot to say she is a very very aggressive lady. The temperament of a broody hen is often very different to 'normal'. My soppy buff Orpington, who is usually mild mannered and happily accepts human attention, turns into an aggressive madam when broody. She'll flap and squawk at humans, stomp about all fluffed up making bok-bok sounds, and chases all the other hens around. Once she's snapped out of her broodiness she's back to her mild-mannered self. Andrew Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bouldercroft Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 like Hong Kong Phooey? the secret alter ego of Rita, a "mild-mannered" salmon faverolle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavysqueak Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 I've just written this somewhere else, but I'll repeat on here as well! I'm not sure if I've ever had a 'fully' broody chicken, as she's always sat on the nest for half of the day & then gone outside as normal. That being said I've always treated her like my mother treated her little Zebra Finches - just in case they are egg bound you start by giving them more heat. So I sit her on a hot water bottle (while cuddling her - also a fabulous excuse for a warm cuddle!) & she sometimes stays for 15 minutes, the longest was 30 minutes. You may need to take the hot water bottle away when she shows signs of getting too hot (open beak, wings up, etc), but don't put her down - let her decide when to leave. I've always found that this has snapped her out after two 'sessions' max & I work so I've only been able to do this once a day. I have no idea if this only works for my chicken, as this is against all of the advice I've ever heard! Good luck with getting her back to normal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavysqueak Posted July 12, 2011 Share Posted July 12, 2011 Sorry - forget to say - I put petroleum jelly all over the bare tummy / tummy feathers & it stopped her pulling them out. It was a desperate attempt - after about 18 months of a bare tummy - to stop the skin from being exceptionally red and sore, also I thought that she wouldn't be able to get hold of the feathers properly in order to pull them out. It seemed to work & I think it helped to get her back to normal. Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
