I am a fairly new chicken keeper with 4 hens, one of which has just gone broody. Four about 4 days now she doesn't want to leave the nest box but is not sitting on eggs as they are removed as they lay. No cockeral so would be infertilised.
I have been advised to remove her from the box which I do after my other two girls that are laying have done so. She seems quite stressed about it all and I feel awful but wonder is there anything else I should be doing. Once out she does feed and drink and dust bath but keeps going back to the now closed pop hole.
At the moment she is laying in the sun quite happy.
Hi June, and welcome to the forum.
It seems that making it difficult for a broody chook to relax helps to shorten the period of broodiness.
Fiona made a special broody coop that we use for that purpose. Hope that helps.
Never knowingly underfed
I never heard of that technique, Fiona. excellent.
It would appear that it should be easier and faster for the chook, and maybe a good first option before falling back on the broody coop.
How long do you immerse the hen in the cool water?
How often do you need to repeat?
Must tell my Fiona.
Never knowingly underfed
Dunking the bird's undercarriage in cold water can cure broodiness in some hens - but a lot of people think it's "cruel". Maybe letting them starve and dehydrate because they're utterly broody and won't leave the nest box is less cruel? Hmmmm . . . .
A broody hen's temperature is about 2 degrees hotter than normal, I believe, so the object is to cool her down. I use an old dog cage, mesh on all sides, floor and top, and I don't try to protect them from the elements unless it's heavy rain. You don't allow them any nesting material and you try to support the cage off the ground so that the wind gets under her tail! You'll soon learn how a broody acts - strange quiet clucking to herself, sitting tight on the nest, getting aggressive when you grab her to move her (it's sensible to grab them from behind if they try to peck you - a peck on the back of the hand from a big bird can draw blood) but each hen seems to be different in the amount of time they need in the "cooler"; I've had some in the cage for a week before they stop running back to the nest box as soon as you release them. The good news is that once you've stopped them being broody they very soon get back into lay.
What's wrong with the politics of envy, anyway?
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