Broody hen?

[9pollock]

Hi
How do you stop a hen from being broody. She now only wants to be in the nesting area and pecks when you try to remove her. She is also constantly verbal making a throaty noise and pecks the other girls.
I have lifted her out twice today and shut the house door so that she cant get in but she's not pleased and unsettled. She hasn't even been happy mucking about on the grass with the other girls.
Any advise greatly appreciated.

[Scarlet]

How long has she been broody? You can stick her in a dog crate, lifted off the floor with some house bricks. with a perch a couple of inches off the floor. Give her food and water but no bedding. The cold air underneath her will cool her off. It's sounds harsh but if she doesn't snap out of it she can get run down quite quickly. She's also a sitting target for red it's sat down in a box all day.

[Nicos]

Sounds broody to me!

^^^^ good advice, or you could let her sit it out , but it could take weeks.

There are a few threads about this...have a look back- it's interesting reading

[muddled]

What kind of hen is she?
And how long has she been broody?
And is this her first time?

Stopping a broody is never pleasant so the first decision you have to make it whether its worth it or not. This depends upon the birds health, the inconvenience to you and the rest of the flock and your determination to stop her.

[9pollock]

Hi
She is a hybrid bluebell and about 2 yrs old and has never acted broody before. She only started going into the nesting box on Sunday evening and staying there. I have lifted her off any eggs and removed them. When she is back with the others she settles down for a while having mud baths and eating only a tiny amount. I am concerned that she is not eating much as her crop seems empty. She also makes a growling sound, preening and fluffing up her feathers is this normal. She has layed on Sunday and Monday.
At the moment she has gone back inside the house but I will remove her again in a short while.

Thanks for your help, any more advise greatly appreciated.

[muddled]

If you are lucky and your hens tend to lay early in the morning you can simply remove the eggs and turn her out of the nest then bar access untill night time. An upturned terracotta pot in the nest will prevent her settling there at night.

If you see no improvement, phase two would be as Scarlet advised.
A raised dog crate (I use an upside down guinea pig cage) so that the 'floor' is actually bars. A perch if you can manage one...for me this is a stick pushed through from one side to the other...will allow her to be comfy but not too comfy! The broody cage as it is called should be in the run and in full view of the other girls so that she's not unduly bullied when you put her back in with the others. What you're aiming to do is prevent her from maintaining the temperature required for hatching eggs. She might well have removed some of her chest feathers to warm the eggs...as soon as this feels a bit draughty the impulse to 'sit' should decline.

Phase three is for when a bird will not stop and her health is becoming a concern. For instance, I used to have a wyandotte that just wouldn't quit. Bless her she used to starve herself...attack the other hens and would stay broody for months.
If things get that bad you can, on a warm sunny dy, dunk her in some water up to her chest to cool her down. She'll hate you for it of course but if the brood goes on too long or you see ANY evidence of redmite, extreme measures will be needed.

[9pollock]

Thanks again. I will have to try the cold water treatment as I havent got a cage. Its warm here at present so will give it a try.

The whole process is frustrating thank goodness I am of work at the moment.