The Broody Breaker
When raising chickens you sometimes get a broody hen, determined to become a momma. Not always is it the good thing you would think it would be.
During the middle of May one of my Silkies (named Baby) became broody. We had just hatched a bunch of babies for the farm and didn't really need any more little ones but I gave her two eggs to sit on. She was very committed and didn't get up much to eat or drink, you could tell she was starting to loose weight. Two weeks into her sitting my other Silkie (named Momma) went broody too. Ugh, now I have two and no need for babies. Someone suggested to let them share responsibilities and the babies, which ended up working fine, until hatch day. Day 21 came and went with no little ones hatching and my Baby had gotten really small, to the point I was worried about her.
I researched what to do, posted in a couple forums and people said a "broody breaker" is what I needed. Here is what I learned... A broody breaker is a cage, preferably with a wire bottom like a rabbit cage that has no bedding in it and with a perch. You need to get them off their bellies so cooler air and get to it and cool them down. When they are broody the body temperature rises to incubate the eggs. As long as their temp stays up they will stay broody. The cage needs to be in a protected area away from the coop.
First I started with Baby, gave her food and water, a perch to get her up more and waited. I read the longer they have been broody, the longer it may take to break them. I let her cool off for 4 days and then tested her. If she ran right back to the nesting box, we would put her back in the cage and try again in another 4 days. After the 4 days we let her out and she lingered around the run for a while and then about an hour later she was out in the yard eating grass. "I THINK I DID IT!" We continued to check the nesting box the rest of the day to see if she went back to it and by that night she was on the perch with everyone else.
Ok one down one to go. Next was Momma's turn. Same thing, put her in the cage and gave her fresh food and water, and waited. On day 4 we let her out and she stuck right by the rabbit cage for a long time, then by the coop. I was sure she would return to the nesting box since she hadn't been broody for long. As the day went on she moved farther away from the coop and then even took a dirt bath. "Did I do it? Did I get 2 broodies broke?" Sure enough that night Momma was perched.
After watching the girls for a few days, it had worked perfectly. This is a method I will definitely use if I need it in the future.
During the middle of May one of my Silkies (named Baby) became broody. We had just hatched a bunch of babies for the farm and didn't really need any more little ones but I gave her two eggs to sit on. She was very committed and didn't get up much to eat or drink, you could tell she was starting to loose weight. Two weeks into her sitting my other Silkie (named Momma) went broody too. Ugh, now I have two and no need for babies. Someone suggested to let them share responsibilities and the babies, which ended up working fine, until hatch day. Day 21 came and went with no little ones hatching and my Baby had gotten really small, to the point I was worried about her.
I researched what to do, posted in a couple forums and people said a "broody breaker" is what I needed. Here is what I learned... A broody breaker is a cage, preferably with a wire bottom like a rabbit cage that has no bedding in it and with a perch. You need to get them off their bellies so cooler air and get to it and cool them down. When they are broody the body temperature rises to incubate the eggs. As long as their temp stays up they will stay broody. The cage needs to be in a protected area away from the coop.
First I started with Baby, gave her food and water, a perch to get her up more and waited. I read the longer they have been broody, the longer it may take to break them. I let her cool off for 4 days and then tested her. If she ran right back to the nesting box, we would put her back in the cage and try again in another 4 days. After the 4 days we let her out and she lingered around the run for a while and then about an hour later she was out in the yard eating grass. "I THINK I DID IT!" We continued to check the nesting box the rest of the day to see if she went back to it and by that night she was on the perch with everyone else.
Ok one down one to go. Next was Momma's turn. Same thing, put her in the cage and gave her fresh food and water, and waited. On day 4 we let her out and she stuck right by the rabbit cage for a long time, then by the coop. I was sure she would return to the nesting box since she hadn't been broody for long. As the day went on she moved farther away from the coop and then even took a dirt bath. "Did I do it? Did I get 2 broodies broke?" Sure enough that night Momma was perched.
After watching the girls for a few days, it had worked perfectly. This is a method I will definitely use if I need it in the future.
Sorry the picture isn't that great, just wanted to show the basic setup.
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