Breaking a Broody Hen

[The15thMember]

My sisters have a chicken who just won't stop being broody.  We don't want any more chicks at the moment, and they've tried all their usual tricks, but this hen just won't go back to normal.  Any ideas or tips to break a broody hen out of her broodiness?

[gww]

We put ours in a cage for two or three days and they get better though some chickens might try two to three different times during the year.  Try and let them get a little light while caged and I read once if they lay an egg you don't have to wait the full three days.  I will be honest, many times two days will do it and one will not.
Cheers

[Ben Framed]

My sisters have a chicken who just won't stop being broody.  We don't want any more chicks at the moment, and they've tried all their usual tricks, but this hen just won't go back to normal.  Any ideas or tips to break a broody hen out of her broodiness?

If gwws way don't work, try the following.

Pick the bird up and wait for it to calm down. Grab the bird's legs with your nondominant hand. Gently rotate the chicken so that their feet are pointing up towards your chest. Grip both of the bird's feet firmly near the base of their backside to keep the bird still. Wrap your fingers around the bird's neck. You get the picture, if completed this will stop a broody chicken 'every time'!! ..     
    

[The15thMember]

If gwws way don't work, try the following.

Pick the bird up and wait for it to calm down. Grab the bird's legs with your nondominant hand. Gently rotate the chicken so that their feet are pointing up towards your chest. Grip both of the bird's feet firmly near the base of their backside to keep the bird still. Wrap your fingers around the bird's neck. You get the picture, if completed this will stop a broody chicken 'every time'!! ..     
    

Mm-hmm, yeah, I see what you did there. 

[Ben Framed]

 

[The15thMember]

We put ours in a cage for two or three days and they get better though some chickens might try two to three different times during the year.  Try and let them get a little light while caged and I read once if they lay an egg you don't have to wait the full three days.  I will be honest, many times two days will do it and one will not.
Cheers

My sister do have this hen separated from the flock in a little hut we are planning on using for the guineas.  It hasn't worked so far, but the space isn't quite as confined as a cage.  Do you think being more confined would help?   

[Kathyp]

People recommend cooling the hen by putting her in a wire cage off the ground.  Personally, I have never found anything to work other than time.  If you leave her where she is, don't take food and water to her.  Make her get hungry enough to come off the nest.  You can also try blocking off her chosen nest so that she has to use another.  Some hens don't care though. 

[gww]

The15th
We have did it three times this year and it worked every time.  We have a rabbit type cage in the chicken house but when it is really hot we used like a bird or dog cage and keep her in the yard and move her from shade to shade as the sun swifts. 

I would let them sit but my wife cares more and it is my belief they may kill themselves on those hundred degree days.  My wife will check them by letting them out early and if they poop eat and run back and start sitting, back in the cage they go. 

You can tell pretty quick if they are over it cause they quit the little clucking and stuff when you get near them when they are broody.  We do not separate them except for the caging and lots of time the other chickens will gather round the cage. 

We have only did this for about three years but it works well enough that my wife complains that it took so long to find out about it.  We used to just get chicks and stick under them.  My wife is very happy about this process.  Mostly we do not put bedding in the cages but do try and keep food and water.
Good luck and I hope this helps more then hurts.
Cheers

[The15thMember]

People recommend cooling the hen by putting her in a wire cage off the ground.  Personally, I have never found anything to work other than time.  If you leave her where she is, don't take food and water to her.  Make her get hungry enough to come off the nest.  You can also try blocking off her chosen nest so that she has to use another.  Some hens don't care though.

We have tried removing her favorite nest and also filling it with ice, and neither thing worked. 

The15th
We have did it three times this year and it worked every time.  We have a rabbit type cage in the chicken house but when it is really hot we used like a bird or dog cage and keep her in the yard and move her from shade to shade as the sun swifts. 

I would let them sit but my wife cares more and it is my belief they may kill themselves on those hundred degree days.  My wife will check them by letting them out early and if they poop eat and run back and start sitting, back in the cage they go. 

You can tell pretty quick if they are over it cause they quit the little clucking and stuff when you get near them when they are broody.  We do not separate them except for the caging and lots of time the other chickens will gather round the cage. 

We have only did this for about three years but it works well enough that my wife complains that it took so long to find out about it.  We used to just get chicks and stick under them.  My wife is very happy about this process.  Mostly we do not put bedding in the cages but do try and keep food and water.
Good luck and I hope this helps more then hurts.
Cheers

Thanks for the extra info, gww.

[Ben Framed]

Did she have a pretty good average of hatched chicks?

[The15thMember]

Did she have a pretty good average of hatched chicks?

She didn't hatch any.  She's not the hen who typically goes broody, so we've kind of already done our chicks for this year, and we just don't need any more.  We do have the guinea keets though.  They have been here for almost a week, so we're not sure they'll accept a mama at this point, but my sister is going to try putting two of them under her tomorrow and seeing what happens.  If it doesn't work, then we'll try solitary confinement.   

[Michael Bush]

I can't say I found anything that worked well.  We used to dunk them in ice water.  It was faster than just waiting, but it took several dunks over several days.  What's wrong with more chicks?  Just butcher a few of the adults.  Or give her a nest of golf balls and wait for her to give up.

[iddee]

To clarify what Ben said, a little crisco in the frying pan works every time.

[Ben Framed]

To clarify what Ben said, a little crisco in the frying pan works every time.

 

[The15thMember]

What's wrong with more chicks?  Just butcher a few of the adults. 

That's just it, the girls don't want to butcher any right now and our chickens don't free range, so we have limited space. 

[Michael Bush]

You can always let a few of them free range... then you won't have to butcher them because the foxes/raccoons/skunks/possums/hawks will take care of your population problem.

[The15thMember]

You can always let a few of them free range... then you won't have to butcher them because the foxes/raccoons/skunks/possums/hawks will take care of your population problem.

Except that's a total waste of a good chicken.   

[Michael Bush]

Coyotes have to eat, same as the crows... nothing is wasted in nature.

[Beelab]

We just take away all eggs from under broody chook every day. After a while, she?ll go off the nest.
Good thing is, all the others lay more at the time too.

[Acebird]

We just take away all eggs from under broody chook every day.

Dito, remove the eggs.  No harm done.