broody hen for loan nr Dorchester

[Anonymous]

I have a bantam hen that is persistantly broody. I have tried all sorts to encourage her to think again but to no avail! I don't really have the room for any more hens so is there anyone in the area who would like to borrow her for incubating some eggs? She did hatch out some last year and was a fantastic mum. She also seems to stay broody on moving.
If not, has anyone got any tips on stopping broodiness? She isn't sitting on any eggs. Someone else suggested putting her in a box and putting the box at a slight angle ( which did work for one of my others last year) so that it gave her something else to think about. I have tried that and that didn't work.

I do want to hatch out a few guinea fowl this year but I think it is too early for them

Gill

 

[victorias poultry]

To stop a hen being broody can try putting her in with an active cockerel that doesn't give her the time to sit down, or shut her out of the hen house/nest box (although she will keep clucking and try to get back in she will get the idea eventually).
My 2 broodies have just done the opposite and left the eggs 3 days before hatching. Candled eggs and all fully formed but dead. I think the cold weather put them off.

 

[snifter]

Shutting them out of the hen house usually works. With a cock bird is a bonus. You have to be persistent and it can take a week or even longer but in this chilly weather they should get the idea. Leaving her to sit anywhere warm and cosy is probably just going to mean she keeps sitting.

When she goes in at night, once all are roosting, if she is in a nest box take her out and sit her on a perch. If it is dark chances are she won't get down to go back to a nest box. If she does you can consider putting her in a wire bottomed cage so she can't get comfy overnight and start sitting again. I do this as a last resort with my persistent broodies. I don't have many that ever make it to that stage. Shutting them out and not letting them sit usually is enough.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all that advice. The biggest problem that I have is that she isn't sitting in the nest box ( none of my hens ever lay in the nest box anyway!) I have a partly covered in section to the run where I store hay etc and that is where they tend to lay and where she would go if given a choice. She is in a pet carrier at the moment within that area but at a bit of an angle. I think it sounds like I need to get a wire bottomed cage.
Gill