My hens have gone broody - help!

[pixie]

I have 10 hens and a few of them have started to get very broody in the last month. They are sitting on eggs in the nest boxes so the others can't get in to lay, and if you try to move them out gently they can be quite aggressive. My neighbour uses a 'sin bin' when this happens to her hens - a sort of chicken wire cage on stilts - and she says this cures the problem in a couple of days. It seems quite drastic and a bit cruel - any other suggestions? Should I just let them get on with it and ignore this behaviour?

[vicki lorraine]

Have heard monty don say he just dips their bottoms in a bucket of cold water to cure the broody hens.

[yoanbob]

if you dont have a cock their health will suffer, they will sit tight, hardley eating or drinking till the eggs hatch, if this isnt going to happen they will starve, cruel to be kind, in the early stages just don some gloves and force the issue!
it seems cruel but in 5 days they forget.
good luck!

[MURFE 18]

Hi, yes i agree with yoanbob, i keep hens and no cock , if hens go broody i wire off a small corner, and put them in for 3/4days then let them back they are fine if not then back in wire area for another day or 2,theyhave acess to food and drink of course,

[Chilcoj]

I'm looking for help too! I only have 3 chickens and one has gone broody. I have been trying the 'dunking in cold water' treatment for the passed three days with only a temporary sucess. I'm now trying the sin bin treatment and will let you know how it goes.

Any other ideas???

[terrier]

When I've had a broody Chook, I take away the eggs and they still sit there even with no eggs to sit on. The sin bin seems the kindest method.

[Chilcoj]

The sin bin worked..............for a while.............she's gone broody again.

I've resurected the sin bin again and hope we can break her out of it. I contacted the breeder who said that as she was a hybrid (a Speckledy we call Thyme) and that she shouldn't go broody. Anybody told Thyme??

She also said that dunking didn't work and that it could take 2 weeks to break her from the cycle.....OH saying her 'time' could be up soon and threatening with the roast potatoes!!

Would it be better to get hold of a fertilised egg or two and let her get it out of her system??

Ideas anyone??

[kirsty b]

It couldn't hurt to get her a few fertile eggs. They're not too dear if you get them from a local farm, if you have one. Did this for a broody Rhodie a few weeks ago, and although we did not hatch any successfully, it did get it out of her system. When I took the eggs away and cleaned out the nest box she was okay, went out a joined the other girls again with no probs. She sat on them for 3 weeks, came out every other day or so to eat and poop.

Kirsty

[Chilcoj]

Just spoken to the breeder who says that although I could give her an egg or two to hatch there were no guarantees that she wouldn't go broody again.

Fingers crossed that the sin bin works and we can start having her laying eggs again.

I'll let you know how it goes.....

[Judith]

I have broody goose - even more scary!

We have taken away her last egg and tried to clean the nest, but she has made a pretend egg out of straw... She gets very cross if disturbed - she does come out for a bite to eat and drink though.
J

[littleweed]

When I was a child we had chickens and if they went broody we put a pot egg under them, usually this worked, if not a quick twist and a lemon up the parsons nose problem solved! I was a vegetarian until my 30's do you think this had something to do with it?