Quite trying to break broody hen

[egg head]

We have a seven month old Welsummer that went broody and just couldn't break her. Put her in the cold cell. Wood cage on a concrete floor. dunk her bottom in real cold water, did a few other things for four days just couldn't break her. The wooden cage usually does the trick, so what did we do we move her about 50 feet set her in a corner in a small area with the broody nest box with 14 Black sex link eggs. We broke one that way before. Might post pictures in three weeks.

[chickenista]

Yep. That should do it.
Sometimes putting them in with a frisky roo will do the trick as well.

[General Brown]

A wire cage several feet above the ground. An all wire bottom, and of course food and drink. Just a couple days is all it takes.

[KSALguy]

any hen that wants to set here gets the chance as long as she isnt setting in the nest everyone else want to lay their eggs in, but even then from time to time it works out, broody hens are more than welcome here if their owners dont want them lol,

[Betty Jean]

When my one girl went broody last summer, I would occasionally drag her out of the nest box and put her in the outside pen near the food and water. She always drank like crazy, ate a bit and went right back in.

Now I know she wouldn't really starve herself to death (would she???), but it made me feel better to see her get a drink when it was really hot out.

[Terry W]

Originally Posted by KSALguy

any hen that wants to set here gets the chance as long as she isnt setting in the nest everyone else want to lay their eggs in, but even then from time to time it works out, broody hens are more than welcome here if their owners dont want them lol,

They are definitely welcome at my place, as well. Nature knows best, and a broody hen is a lot less woryy than an electrical supply and thermostat!!!

Originally Posted by Betty Jean

When my one girl went broody last summer, I would occasionally drag her out of the nest box and put her in the outside pen near the food and water. She always drank like crazy, ate a bit and went right back in.

Now I know she wouldn't really starve herself to death (would she???), but it made me feel better to see her get a drink when it was really hot out.

I wonder where people get this idea that the hen never leaves the nest? The broodies last summer always left the nest when I opened the coop for the day, got their food and water, then returned to the nest. Are my birds 'strange' in this department?

[egg head]

No even I can't miss when she leaves the nest. Poop in the far corner of the area, occasionally an egg broken open and eaten, and the food and water go down a bit by the day.

[katydidagain]

Originally Posted by egg head

No even I can't miss when she leaves the nest. Poop in the far corner of the area, occasionally an egg broken open and eaten, and the food and water go down a bit by the day.

I think one of my EEers is showing signs of interest. As an experiment, I hardboiled one of my last (fingers crossed) white store eggs and put it in the nest. I was shocked to discover it half eaten later that day; I haven't gotten a lot of eggs from my 4 girls but none have been devoured. Could the color (different than they lay) or potential broodiness be the cause? Or do I have an eggeater?

[Cliff]

As a side observation, it's fairly unusual for welsummers to go broody in my experience.

[egg head]

that what I thought to, cliff from the little I know but she just wouldn't break and I even put her in the chamber, concrete floor after dunk for a day, I did a couple other things to. I let her out and she set in the nest in about thirty seconds, I put fourteen eggs in the broody box and she sat on them in about ten seconds hasn't left the nest yet only day two though. Kadydidagain a good broody hen will roll the egg out of the nest and eat it if it is not right. Last year had a Plymouth rock set a load of eggs and she rolled one out and crushed it and ate it. being the beginner that I am I posted on this site and learned that she was a good broody hen.

[karenbrat1]

Send her to me, I'd love to have a broody Welsumer! None of my Wels have ever gone broody!