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Goldie

Broody pen - still broody!

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Hi guys, Well Daisy has decided she would like to stay in the nest box all day and all night :roll: After a few days of turfing her off, blocking off the nest boxes at night etc, she is still all puffed up and clucking!

 

She's now in a broody pen (dog crate), raised off the floor. I have had to put a 12 inch wooden board in the middle to help her feet as the wire is very hard and very wide apart. She has a perch and bowls in there, but seems to be sitting on the wooden board clucking!

 

I really don't want to take this up for her feet's sake, she has a slight swelling on one toe already which I'm hoping doesn't turn into bumble foot.... But there's no point her being in the pen if it's not working.

 

What's the best thing to do?

 

Thanks

Goldie

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In the base of our cage we have a sheet of fine weld mesh held in place with tie wraps to the wire. When I say fine it has just under 12mm square holes. This seems to be fine for all the large fowl we have but I wouldn't risk it with a bantam. It's important they get air underneath them, so the piece of wood needs to be removed and replaced with something a lot finer meshed than your cage. As you say there is a big risk of injury with wide meshing. A broken leg is even a possibility!

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Found some chicken wire so have put that over the bars to help her feet, and removed the wooden board.

 

She is now 'brooding' on the mesh :wall: Any ideas?? Don't really want to leave her to it...

 

That sounds like a good idea- have her feet stopped swelling now?

 

You can always use either frozen vegetables or ice. Place the ice or frozen vegs underneath the hen- make sure to wrap it in a towel first!

 

This should reduce their body temperature and stops them going broody.

 

I've read over at Back Yard Chickens and Happy Chicken Coop that after doing this for a few times it should stop them...

 

Let me know how you get on...

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Hi, Ok, update is..she is still broody! I tried a cool pack (not ice), but she seemed to want to brood it..so took that out!

 

Her behaviour is......if she's in the cage in the day, she is brooding on the mesh floor. Is it worthwhile keeping her in it? She may as well be on the nest :?

 

How to proceed from here? If it's the day and she's inside, she's broody. If she's outside free-ranging, she's absolutely normal.

 

Please help! Thanks for all suggestions so far

 

Goldie

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Should I be letting her out to free range at all? Given that she is her normal self when roaming around the garden with the others?

 

Here she is being broody in her pen :(9ZwQTQLl.jpg

It's in the coop with the others so she is next to them at night and when they are feeding etc.

 

Is it doing any good if she is broody in it? Tomorrow is Day 4.

 

Thanks

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I have absolutely no broody experience... But shouldn't that cage be raised of the ground? So the air can circulate underneath her?

 

Yes it should (see instructions in the FAQ section) She shouldn't be let out at all. She isn't necessarily broody, just sitting down; a broody hen will be glued to the nest, and not move. If she is free ranging, then she probably isn't broody.

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Hi, It's probably a bit difficult to see but the cage is up on bricks with air underneath, probably about a foot high.

 

Definitely broody, she's all fluffed up like a turkey, and screams when I go to move her! Also today when I moved her out (she doesn't free range of her own accord, I have to move her so she'll poo! And then lock her out), she was collecting nesting material and throwing it onto her back. So we're obviously getting worse not better!

 

Hmmm

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