Laying behaviour

[chris]

I think I may have 'broke' her!

I dunked her in a bucket of water on Saturday and Sunday (checked she was dry before letting her back in coop) - man I never realised chickens could cry louder than a baby!!

Yeah she didn't like it, and both times after coming out of the bucket after a good soaking she acted "normal". This morning, went to let them out - no daft clucking or fluffing up, she wasn't in the nest box or ont he ground (mind you I've covered the floor and nest box in bricks)and just trotted out, looked at me and waiting for me to put the food down.

Fingers crossed!

Now then, all you men reading - the answer to that "broody" time of the month is just to chuck em in a bath of cold water! hehe

[motherhen]

WHY!! do people get hens that are going to go broody and then spend all their time torturing the poor thing to stop it!!
Boil some eggs and let her sit out of the way from everyne until she returns to normal.

[FionaH]

Now then, all you men reading - the answer to that "broody" time of the month is just to chuck em in a bath of cold water! hehe

Bring it on sweetheart, lets see how far you get!

[Polly Fouracre]

I have speak out here and say that dunking a broody hen in cold water is cruel and un-necessary. Broodiness is a natural cycle of a hen's life and if you can't let her hatch out a brood of chicks then take the eggs away and put some china or plastic eggs under her and let her sit out her time.
She will soon come back into lay when she realises her eggs aren't going to hatch.
One of my Indies had what she thought was a hidden nest and I replaced her eggs now and again with china eggs. A few days ago after her sitting on these eggs I heard a tiny "peep-peep" from under her. She must have laid a sly egg after she started sitting and now has one one little chick to keep her busy.

[Flummery]

Someone suggested I dunk my broody last year but I didn't feel it was kind.

[chris]

Well, I thought I may get a reaction like that - I read about both sides of the argument before deciding to do it. I thought about not posting it, but then thought I would to see what others would say.

motherhen - I didn't choose a breed that is renouned for going broody (she's a hybrid, not pure).. and therefore (naively I admit) I didn't expect any of them to go broody.

I didn't do it to tourture the bird, she doesn't let the other hens in the nestbox/area - I watched them for the past 3 days trying to squeeze in to lay on top of her, peck her and strut back and forth before having to lay. Again, I read about many methods, including a brodoy cage (turns out I didn't have enough mesh after all).

Polly/MH - Of course, each person will differ in their views - whatever the arugment. I could have jumped in on some other peoples posts here and said their actions were cruel, where an alternative could be rehoming or what not, but for my same reasoning I appreciate the choices made.

Anyway just checked in with her and she is now out and about with the others, so it looks to have worked. She hasn't been out the coop or away from it if I've taken her out of it.

Again, I'd like to reiterate the point that I read in detail about methods people use. Also, the water wasn't "cold", I know it's still winter - I made sure the weather was warm enough and used water that I knew was cooler than her body temp to bring it down, but not cold by any means. It gave me a chance to check her over - I was surprised at the weight loss, compared to the other.

Fiona

[RichmondHens]

That wasn't a good thing to do Chris, especially in February. Even in mid summer I wouldn't dunk a chicken in cold water. I don't bother putting my broodies off, in fact I like them being broody. But I don't need to sit them all so just leave the ones I don't need to their own devices, which usually means they pile up in the nestbox and brood each other.

If you do want to force them back into lay, then one method is to put them in a wire bottomed cage for a couple of days so the air can circulate underneath them and cool them down. Old rabbit hutches with the bottom replaced with chicken wire works well. Make sure it is sited somewhere dry and safe.

However I do agree with others on here that it is better to let nature take its course and leave the hen be. She will get bored in a few weeks and return to normal.

[Nicos]

I think peeps need to choose whatever method suits them best- in the knowledge of what alternatives are available.

Some of the 'kind methods' of animal welfare I choose over here just get laughed at.

If some of you recall- when I was on hols in the UK last year , a very knowledgable farming friend 'helped' me out with a broody ( without my knowledge) by locking her in her nesting box for several days without food and water
Yup- it certainly stopped her brooding!

Personally I think she would have much preferred being dunked ( or any other method!!)

[OverWyreGrower]

I've let a broody 'sit out' before, and ended up dunking her, as she was still 'sat' 8 weeks later...

I've used both dunking and sin-binning as a method of 'breaking' a broody, and find it really depends on the hen. I find that if it's a warm summer, the sin-bin isn't very effective.

[Suechooks]

My Silkie has been broody twice over the winter. I just lifted her on the perch at night as she was brooding out in the run so wanted her inside at night for safety anyway. That cooled her down sufficiently to end her broodiness in less than a week.

[Flummery]

I locked mine out of the nestbox after everyone had finished in there. I had to persist for about 10 days - she was a madame to the others too - evil temper. However, she is the smallest and I didn't want her to lose too much weight or condition. At least once she was out she ate and drank. She finished being broody and then moulted! D'oh!

[Hilary B]

It's all very well to talk about letting them sit it out, but not every chook keeper has anywhere to isolate a broody, and some fear (often with reason) the reaction of the others when she rejoins after several weeks in a separate enclosure. Those keeping just a few for eggs may well HAVE to persuade a hen to quit such behaviour, simply to manage the rest of their flock!
I would always prefer a 'sin bin' to cold water, especially at this time of year, but is it really any more cruel to set about dissuading a broody than to let her sit for weeks on end with no hope of hatching babies? At least the 'wet knickers' treatment only lasts a few days!

[elizajay]

I had a couple of broodies that sat indefinitely. It seemed that with me removing the eggs every day gave them no timescale to their broodiness, so not time to give up on eggs, so seemed cruel. I eventually couldn't stand it and gave them fertile eggs to hatch.
Later I had a broody when I really didn't want chicks, so I sinned binned her in a wire mesh cat box on the roof of the run for good circulation. I gave her food and water and when I let her out for exercise if she sat again I lifted her straight back into the sin bin. It took a couple of days.

[chris]

well, she's back at the old broody tricks again!

A mate, who bought from the same farm (same ones as me too) has had his magpie go broody too, this weekend just gone.

anybody want to borrow her?

[Nicos]

me!!!!!

I need to get some eggs on the go asap otherwise they'll be too young to hang around with the goslings

I had a broody last month but decided to hang on a bit. Wish I hadn't now

Looks like we have a week of warm, sunny days ahead of us ( that's if the forecast is correct)
Hopefully that'll encourage at least one into going broody???