broody or habit

[molliedogspabottom]

Hi all,

two months ago I had a couple of speckled sussex (along with 15 other hens) christmas fell ill and died and ever since then pudding has been broody, try as I might I can not change her mind, she is very thin now and I wonder if the broodyness is habit.
any ideas on what I can try to get her going again, she eats and drinks when I lift her out of the hen house and she nips out first thing on a morning she just will not stay out.

 

[Marigold]

When you say 'she will not stay out' does that mean you you are unable to pen her separately from the others during the day? When one of mine goes broody I put her out on a patch of grass surrounded by chicken netting during the day, with another hen for company, luckily I have a non- layer who is useful for this if nothing else. The broody gets lots of exercise pacing round in the open air, theres nowhere cosy for her to snuggle down, and at night she goes in a sin bin with a mesh base. If you are allowing your girl to get anywhere near the coop she will of course try to go in the nestbox. Could you divide the run with netting or something so she wasn't separated from the flock and had her own food and water, but couldn't get to the coop?

 

[molliedogspabottom]

Hi,
thats a really good idea,we have some netting and I will try that, I have previously tried putting her in the small coop but she just settled down in the end under the roof.
I will try what you have said and just put her in a wire run, and see what happens, many thanks for that idea