Author Topic: Sorry - I know this has been asked before but...... (Read 2181 times)

suziequeue · « **on:** December 17, 2011, 06:24:55 am »

I can't seem to find it on the search engine about:

How do I stop my hen being broody?

One went broody a while back so - despite it being lat in the year - we got her some mail order eggs to sit on.

Unfortunately none of them has hatched but she is still sitting on them. I don;t really want her to sit for the rest of the winter.

I think I did read about dipping their bottoms in a bucket of cold water to "shock them out of it"

Is that right?

I can;t seem to find my chicken boook at the momnet.

Sorry to re-ask such a dumb question

Sylvia · « **Reply #1 on:** December 17, 2011, 08:17:11 am »

It would be an unkind thing indeed to dip her in icy water

Let her sit, she'll soon get tired of it. Or you could take away her eggs one a day until she finds she's sitting on nothing!

manian · « **Reply #2 on:** December 17, 2011, 09:27:31 am »

remove the eggs
keep removing her when you see her nesting
one of ours took days and then settled,

however another one we had to remove into a separate run with no where to nest, some use a wire coop so they can't sit...... couldn't face that

she took a while but then went back to normal

Big Light · « **Reply #3 on:** December 17, 2011, 09:56:46 pm »

Just need to reduce the birds heat, cold water is probably not so good at this time of the year however a wire cage which is covered from the elements above but which allows wind in from the side ( dog cage or similar if you have nothing else) should do the trick, it doesn't stop them sitting but just naturally cools them down and removes the urge

jaykay · « **Reply #4 on:** December 18, 2011, 08:46:24 am »

It's not so kind to leave them sitting and not eating at this time of year either - and yes, I've got one or two silly things trying to be broody too

Mine will sit and hatch wood shavings

when I've removed the eggs.

You need to 'cool them down', literally - which is how cold water works, but may not at this time of year unless you can keep them somewhere to dry off. It's the brood patch, on the chest and tummy that needs to cool. Wire cages are used because they allow air to circulate and so cool off - they work more slowly than the cold water method, so i don't use them in preference in the summer, but might be better at this time of year - or maybe just sitting them for a minute in the snow!

Actually, I think snow is what i shall do as it won't leave them too wet but will work quickly and so allow them back with the rest of the flock quickly.

Rosemary · « **Reply #5 on:** December 18, 2011, 10:34:36 am »

I just keep moving them off the nest. Works after a few days.

suziequeue · « **Reply #6 on:** December 18, 2011, 03:58:06 pm »

Thanks for all your advice.

I went in and took her eggs away and locked her out of the "broody" chamber.

She pottered off happy as Larry to join her pals and hasn't been back to the main coop nest box since so I reckon she was pretty bored by the whole thing already. They were a week past their hatching date.

Thank god I didn't have to dunk her bottom in cold water

Cinderhills · « **Reply #7 on:** December 18, 2011, 04:45:31 pm »

Suzie, I also searched this very topic about a week ago andfound nothing on here either! The advice I found on other sites was as everyone said. I kept her in a wire cage separate for about 24 hours which she hated, and so did I. It worked for about half a day when I let her out. Then I remove the eggs as soon as everone has laid in the house, this means taking her off them and plonking her outside. After about 3 days of doing this she now comes out each morning which is progess, but still I remove her about 3 times a day. Not sure how long this is going to go on for.

The plus side is she was one of the hens roosting in a tree so now she is inside which is great. She is soooo warm I feel like putting her on my head as a nice warm hat!