Broody Moody

[DippyEgg]

Two out of our three chickens are nestbox bound! I noticed the eldest, Daphne, getting broody, staying in nest box and having to be turfed out, about 3 wks ago. She wasn't to bad and was still laying. I have been away for 2 weeks leaving my girls in the care of my husband for one week and neighbour for the second. Upon my return there are now two hens in the nestbox who refuse to move and no eggs. I was advised to dunk Daphne and Freda in a bucket of cool water to lower their body temperature and therefore stop the broody state, not sure of scientific logic. This I duly did, much to the amusement of the children, but hens are still in broody state. I have tried closing the house off so the two can at least get a good amount of food and water. But as soon as it is reopened they're back. Also Daphne is getting aggressive to Mabel and pecking her; Mabel lays her egg first thing and is not bothered about the house being closed off, but would like some space from Daphne.
I'm not to bothered about the lack of eggs from Daphne and Freda but would like to have them back as the friendly and sociable girls.

 

[Chuck]

The 'advisers' that suggest dipping broodies in cold water should be dipped in ice water themselves which might stop them giving such ill informed advice ! It will do nothing to get them off broody. They need to be put in something like a dog crate, with a mesh bottom, covered in case of rain. Food and water for four or five days and they should give up. Expect no eggs when they are broody and they may well go into a moult when they come off.

 

[foxy]

Spot on advice from Chuck, it is a change in hormones that stimulates the nesting behaviour in hens. The only way to change this is to just break the habit in the most humane manner, which generally means removing the ability for the hen to nest, or just keep removing her from the nestbox. Sometimes a change of environment can help too.

 

[Marigold]

My Susex, Marigold, has gone broody three times this summer, and on each occasion I've restored her to normal by penning her on a plain grass area during the day, with another hen for company, and putting her in a wire bottomed cage (old guinea pig cage with the bottom filled in with mesh) at night. During the day she has had lots of exercise pacing around making discontented noises and hasn't had the chance to snuggle down so her breast has been cooled off. At night she has not been happy about being cooped in the cage but within two nights she has been cured, back to roosting on the perches at night, and laid again soon after.
I think this is more humane than shutting her up all the time in the box, with no room to move around. I did catch her as soon as I saw she was staying a long time in the nestbox and getting all fluffed up, which helped. As you were away and unable to get to them at this stage, yours may take longer to respond. Just remember that the object of the exercise is to get air to her chest, so she cools down, and then her hormones will return to normal.

 

[chrismahon]

Hi DippyEgg. Loads of good advice there. Putting them in cold water is a short cut to a heart attack -same as people diving into cold ponds. The purpose of the cage in the air is as Marigold says, to prevent their underside reaching the necessary incubation temperatures. When they realise they can't create a successful 'nest' they give up -some quicker than others. As Chuck says. No eggs after being broody, usually for two to three weeks in my experience.

 

[Chuck]

There is no problem with them being cooped up for a few days because they would be sitting on a nest anyway !

 

[DippyEgg]

Thanks everyone for your answers. It seems to me that a good airing is the answer and I'm sitting here at night trying to work out what I could use tomorrow. I can place the birds in a run thats not so comfy where the air can get to them. Today they were both banned from the nest box and had to settle on the paving slabs. Freda was less 'nesty' and more sociable and hungry. No change with Daphne and still intolerant to poor Mabel. I'm unsure on how to divide the girls as both Freda & Daphne are broody, as said Freda less so; but Daphne has a dislike to Mabel so if I remove two then they might both turn on Mabel when they return.