My neighbor's 'dirt nap' advice for broody hens actually worked

My neighbor Betty told me to put my broody hen in a wire cage off the ground for 3 days straight. I thought she was crazy, but after 2 weeks of that bird refusing to leave the nest box, I tried it. Broke the broodiness by day 2 and she was back to normal scratching around the yard. Has anyone else tried this method or just me?

2 comments

2 Comments

abbyl494h ago

Oh careful with the ice cube trick, it's actually better to use a real egg that's been refrigerated for a bit. The cold helps with the broodiness but a golf ball doesn't have the right feel for her. Did she sit on it for long?

harris.vera5h ago

Oh wow, I did the ice cube trick on a golf ball and it totally snapped her out of it!