[BernieM]

Hi All

New to this site and am looking for advice about my chickens.  Got them in Feb (2 white Silkies and 2  buff Orpingtons - pol) and we are really enjoying them and their eggs.  However, it seems that one Silkie and one Orpington have gone broody (classic symptoms I've read of) but as I don't want to rear chicks I have been trying different things as advised by some websites to get them to forget about being broody!  Unfortunately I'm not having much luck.  When I kept pestering them to get off the nests they just went back on when my back was turned.  Tried locking them out of their chicken run but they just loitered all day at the door.  I have now locked them out of the hen house for the last 2 days (is this ok for them?) but they just lie in their run.  The other two aren't broody but seem to be coming out in sympathy.  I think its unsettling for them all as last night when I went to close the hen house door the non-broody Orpington was in the same nest box as the broody Silkie and the broody Orpington was also trying to get in!!  The other non-broody Silkie just sits on its perch looking worried (if a chicken can look worried!).  Sorry to ramble on so much but I need advise please.  I work through the day so can't be there all the time moving them.  If I persevere locking them out of the house does anyone think this will work.  The non-broody chickens are laying at night now!!  Look forward to reading some comments.  Many thanks.

[bantam novice]

Hello Bernie and welcome to the forum 
I am sure people will have a great deal of advice about anti-broody measures.  You could also try typing that (anti-broody measures) into the search box in the top right-hand corner and you should get plenty of information.  In the meantime good Luck and keep us posted 

[BernieM]

Thanks for the advice.  I think I will just persevere with locking the hen house door through the day.  Unfortunately, this means none of them can go in.  Maybe I should get a small separate house/enclosure for situations like this so I can isolate one if necessary.  The Silkie (Susi) is quite docile whilst broody but the Orpington (Dorothy) is quite aggressive.  Its quite an adventure trying to get her off the nest.  I wore my husbands work gloves yesterday to avoid being pecked!!

[outercircle]

One of mine has gone broody so I've lined the nestbox with royal wedding supplements - I'm hoping that having to sit on a picture of Prince Phillip will snap her out of it

[Newbie]

Dunk her bum in a bucket of cold water.  Not very refined I know but it has worked for me in the past.  They get very hot on their undercarriages and cooling them down breaks the broody habit.  You could also make a broody box, sounds cruel but basically it has a wire mesh floor that is raised up so even when they are sat down there is stilla  nice breeze getting underneath.
I have tried shutting them out of the hen house before but as you say they just sit around and then there is nowhere for the productive hens to lay either.
If you already have a worried looking hen she will look even more worried when she sees you dunking her friend!!
By the way I do the dunking on a morning rather than near to bed time so they don't go bed with wet feathers.

[Casey76]

Well, both silkies and orpingtons are renound for being broody brreds, so no doubt you will get plenty of practice de-broodying them

An anti-broody cage may be your best bet.  A wire bottomed cage (such as a dog traveling cage) in a couple of bricks at each corner, no bedding (but grain and water available in galley (D ) cups).  A few days in solitary should help to sort them out.  If your run is secure, then they can stay in the cage, in the run overnight too.

[orchardlady]

I'm with Casey re the broody cage/ doge crate method. It's the only way I've ever succeeded. My only other comment would be as you are out at work for periods of time put a piece of old ply wood on top of the crate to offer a bit of shelter and shade from the weather. Shutting them out will simply not work and the laying hens will start to lay in inappropriate places and so get into bad habits of laying where eggs get broken and eaten and that's another whole different problem to sort out.

Orchardlady.

[BernieM]

Thanks for all the advice everyone.  I will give the cage a try and let you know.

[Manoir51]

The cage for 2 or 3 days does work.  You don’t have to buy anything special, we used an old drawer with some chicken wire at the bottom and another piece on top to stop her escaping, the most of important thing is to stop them sitting comfy.  Put a small bowl of food and water in with her and she will be fine. Let her out after a couple of days and if she goes broody again just put her back in the cage for another couple of days.  It’s all in the life of a chicken keeper!!

[Maybelle]

I think I may have to resort to a cage for our Millie, who has been broody now for almost two weeks.  She's become like a monster; won't let the other two ladies in the Eglu, hisses at us and puffs her feathers up.  Have tried shutting them all out of Eglu but hasn't made any difference and it's affecting the other two's laying.  We had a soft egg yesterday and regularly now only get one egg a day if we are lucky.  May try a cage this weekend, along with some cold water bum dunking, when we are around to keep an eye on things.  Will keep you all posted.