Locked Up In Broody Prison, And Time Keeps Draggin' On

[kbroom]

Well first of all, "You HAVE to be smarter than the chicken!" My husband informed me. Wow. Did those words sting....uh pretty much because they were true! I was taking the advise of a much more experienced chicken mommy on here, about my brooding chicken, Bubbles. I fixed the cage first, or so I'd thought, when I went into the garage and threw a towel over Bubble's head. Next, I carried her to the chicken pen, where I'd set up her "broody prison." I'd just gotten her inside the cage, when the water contraption decided to jerk lose. The upper part of the cage had greater distance between the bars, but I was busy fixing the water container. That's when Bubbles took the opportunity to leap up on top the cage and fly over the main coup. Now, wasn't THAT just a cute little trick? For a while I was actually dumb enough to think that I might catch her. Yeah, right. Then she simply found an opening and then flew out of the pen. I waited for a few minutes. My husband told me that Bubbles had found her way back to the garage, and had resumed her brooding! I decided that nothing was going to happen if I didn't at least try one more time. This time I made sure that she just had a little bowl of water. The cage container was just too complicated for me. Once again, I threw the towel over Bubble's head. She squawked, but at least she knew what was coming next. I put her back into the cage, and closed the door. I think she'll be fine even with rain coming. I've covered the cage with clothe, plastic, and a large rain coat. She's singing Broody Prison Blue tonight!

 

[Lacy Duckwing]

Give her at least 48 hours in there, longer if she's still talking broody. Typically chickens don't do a jail break like that (lol), but sometimes it's easier to move them at night when they're more drowsy.
Good luck to ya in breaking her broodiness! She's definitely a tricky one!

 

[OrpingtonManiac]

Shes really determined

 

[Callender Girl]

When you experience just how persistent and clever they are at escaping, it makes you rethink how most people define the phrase, "bird brain."

Good luck with Bubbles and her Broody Prison Blues concert!

 

[RoyalChick]

Oh that is nothing.
My hen Tassels has learned how to trick me into letting her out of broody jail.
Day one she acts all broody. Makes broody sounds. Puffs herself up. Sits all the time like she is trying to hatch a piece of the 2x4.
Day two similar.
Day three she loses the broody voice. Stops puffing up. Spends her time standing on the 2x4, and chats in a normal voice to me and her chicken friends.
So naturally, on day three I release her.
She pauses at the door of the cage, tilts her head and looks at me as if to say ‘you idiot’, and then rushes back to the nest box and continues being broody on whatever happens to be in there.
I have fallen for this trick multiple times!