I need advice with hatching from a broody hen!

[humblehillsfarm]

I've read of people putting the broody in a small cage with a fan or putting reusable ice packs in the nests to break them before. What did you try other than the separate coop with no nest?

I had just been continuously shooing her off the nest. I hadn't heard of using ice packs under her until today. I had a Welsummer try to go broody and just shooing her away and taking her eggs was all that was needed to stop her. I feel the ice pack would be far less traumatizing!

 

[EggSighted4Life]

How long does it take for them to snap out of it when you isolate them? Should I scrap the eggs she's already incubating or just let nature take it's course? The egg that was cracked I finished the job and there was certainly development at that point. Throughout this entire period I have been taking her outside 2-3 times a day so she will drink, relieve herself, and get a dust bath. She will stay out usually for no more than 10 minutes. Also when out I've been feeding her mealworms mixed with organic scratch grains, but from where she is laying she can reach the normal feed and will often eat without leaving the nest. I feel like I've continuously made a series of bad choices, but in my defense I am still learning.

I personally would scrap the eggs as her life is more important. No, waiting until day 10 development sounds like a good plan last month, not anymore.

She will drink and relieve herself WITHOUT your assistance. Keeping the feeder and water close to the nest where she doesn't have to leave is NOT benefiting her... they have slowed their digestion so that they don't poop in the nest.

Hon, I'm not trying to make you feel bad or point any finger at you! We are ALL doing our best until we learn something different, so my apologies if it came across like that. We are here to support each other mostly. Hang in there!

I NO longer breed, raise, or have ANY Silkies in my flock due to their EXCESSIVE broodiness... I fully understand your frustration.

The longer they've been broody the longer it can take to snap out of it. Some as quickly as 3 days (not sooner in my experience) and I've had one that took more than 10 days before snapping out of it... which even then STILL takes a good week+ before returning to normal lay. Also, please note you do not have to isolate then hen... you just have to isolate her from any laying box. I now have an open bottom grass pen I use during the daytime for particularly hard to break hens.

ETA: shooing is enough for some gals... but not really most of mine. Seeing that it worked for one of your ladies goes to show that all are individuals.. and we do our best.

 

[igorsMistress]

I had just been continuously shooing her off the nest. I hadn't heard of using ice packs under her until today. I had a Welsummer try to go broody and just shooing her away and taking her eggs was all that was needed to stop her. I feel the ice pack would be far less traumatizing!

It's good to have a few so you can rotate them throughout the day. Don't wrap them in anything before you put them under her though. I've heard mixed results, as you've already experienced.

 

[aart]

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

I know not everyone may agree with this tactic, but yesterday afternoon I went home and made an enclosure for her within my coop. That night I moved her and her eggs into the nest. I monitored her for an hour and a half before leaving this morning and she stayed on her nest. Someone will be home most of the day and will continue to monitor her. We will let her out 2x a day after today so she can drink, run around, relieve herself, and take a dust bath. She has food and water in her enclosure but all of my hens have preferred to eat and drink outside. I've already been shooing her off the nest and she usually takes 10-15 minutes to do this. If by day 10 the eggs are showing no development, they will be scrapped and more rigorous measures will be taken to snap her out of her broodiness.

 

[igorsMistress]

Hey it's your situation, whatever works! Nice job there. Please do update us and let us know how it all it works out. Honestly, that's what I would have tried first too

 

[Minky]

How long does it take for them to snap out of it when you isolate them? Should I scrap the eggs she's already incubating or just let nature take it's course? The egg that was cracked I finished the job and there was certainly development at that point. Throughout this entire period I have been taking her outside 2-3 times a day so she will drink, relieve herself, and get a dust bath. She will stay out usually for no more than 10 minutes. Also when out I've been feeding her mealworms mixed with organic scratch grains, but from where she is laying she can reach the normal feed and will often eat without leaving the nest. I feel like I've continuously made a series of bad choices, but in my defense I am still learning.

I have found even my really stubborn hens crack after 5 days of being in a cat carrier/dog crate with no bedding. I give them fresh water, food and treats- just zero bedding. I always break my broody hens in the coop- but if yours would freak out less- maybe move her to the garage. Some isolation may help her calm down.

 

[Minky]

Her own coop with her own nest and eggs is perfect. Leave her alone in there, I find my broody hens only get off the nest once a day, and for not very long at all. I say the less human intervention the better.

 

[humblehillsfarm]

Her own coop with her own nest and eggs is perfect. Leave her alone in there, I find my broody hens only get off the nest once a day, and for not very long at all. I say the less human intervention the better.

I wouldn't intervene at all except she has already been broody for close to two months. Giving her eggs adds potentially three more weeks to her time if successful. She has lost weight but otherwise seems healthy, good comb color, etc. She is already comfortable with me picking her up gently and placing her outside in front of the water. I just want to make sure she stays as healthy as she can until she can hatch some eggs and snap out of it. I have learned A LOT from this experience and hope to never repeat these mistakes!

 

[humblehillsfarm]

In case anyone would care for an update, my hen is approximately four days from hatch day! I checked one of the three eggs two days ago and there's definitely something cooking in there! Mama bird is doing quite well. I've been gently removing her from the next up to three times a day if the weather is above 60 and 2 times a day if it is colder. Any time I remove her she stays off the nest for 6-8 minutes (I time her) and she usually drinks a good bit, poops a big smelly poop, takes a dust bath, chases around some of the other hens, goes back to the coop to eat, and goes right back to her eggs. She's lost weight but her comb appears in good shape and color. I am SO EXCITED for hatch day! But to be honest if only one or two make it I won't be upset given the high likelihood of having a Roo that I don't need.