How to make a broody coop to stop your chickens and bantams being broody (takes 1 hour to make)
Posted by Fiona Nevile in Chickens | 130 comments
“Two of my hens are broody.” Bunty was exasperated.
“We’ve got a broody one too.”
This was our first summer of keeping bantams (a small friendly breed of chicken).
Bunty continued, “I wish I hadn’t suggested Bantams. I’ve discovered that they go broody at the drop of a hat.”
Years ago Bunty had kept chickens commercially. Those were a type of chicken bred for laying that rarely go broody.
She thought that she had the answer to our dilemna.
“We need anti broody coops. You’re good at making things. Why don’t you make a couple?”
My heart sank. I thought that they would take hours to make, imagining a sort of dog kennel with a wide gauge wire mesh floor.
To stop a hen being broody you need to stop her from settling comfortably. The trick is to construct a cage with a floor made of large wire mesh ( with at least 1 inches squares). Set the cage on bricks so that the floor is suspended, keeping the bricks to the outside edges so that she can’t sit on them. Provide a small drinking fountain and feeder within the cage and pop her in. She won’t be able to settle on the wire mesh floor and within a few days will get over her broodiness.
I went to bed early and woke at four. In the still cold light I realised that the entire cage could be made of wire mesh. I went to the garden centre after breakfast and bought three sheets of wire mesh measuring 90cm x 60cm. The cage is 60 cm long and 43 cm high and 43 cm wide This allows for an overlap at the joins.
Our broody coop is simple to make. Lay the wire on a flat surface, and bend 2 cm of wire mesh to a 90 degree angle along a 60 cm side. Then lift the opposite end and press it into the angled flap. Press firmly on the bulgy end and fold flat to make a clean angle and pull the ends apart. You now have the floor and one side. Repeat the operation for the roof and the other side.The flap may seem a bit fiddly but it makes the cage much more rigid and stable.
Now attach the the two halves together to make the body of the cage. I tied the two together with twists of wire at 5cm intervals. The front and back of the cage are made from the remaining sheet. Hold the sheet against the opening at the back and cut to fit using wire clippers. The back was attached using wire twists. The front is hinged at the top with sides that bend back a bit over the sides of the cage.
Having a hinge at the top makes it easier to put the chicken in the cage. If you put her in headfirst you can quickly drop the door down and secure it with pegs before she has turned around. We used clothes pegs but small bulldog clips would be good for a larger chicken.
The broody coop in the photo is the mark one version. I made Bunty a Rolls Royce (mark two) cage out of plastic coated wire. Definitely worth the extra investment as it’s stronger and more durable. Carol (our Maran) has never been broody. If she was, I’d make her a bigger cage (the hen needs to be able to stand up). And it would have to be stronger than the mark one cage as she is a much larger bird than the bantams.
Our broody coop sits in the Day Centre. Bunty had hers in the run with a bit of wood as a roof.
It took me a while to realise when the perfect moment of release should take place. The chicken in the broody coop will ask to be released immediately. But bide your time. Her comb will gradually change from pink to red. When it is red she can get out of jail. If you release her while her comb is still pink she will nip back to the nesting box and you will have to start the process all over again.
If you have a broody chicken and you want her to sit on fertilised eggs put a floor on the bottom of the broody coop, fold the door over the roof and you have a quiet area in which she can sit for twenty one days, with easy access to food and water. She needs to be able to move away from the nest so don’t lock her in. Ideally, place the cage somewhere that is protected from the elements. Or construct a simple roof like Bunty did (a bit of plywood slightly bigger than the cage). It’s not a good idea to let a broody hen stay in the nesting box as it puts the other hens off laying eggs.
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Hello Alison
Your hen sounds broody to me! The agression could be a sign of broodiness – protecting her eggs.
I’m not sure why she laid the soft shelled egg. Personally, I wouldn’t be over concerned.
Hope that she is back to her old self soon.
thanks for the helpful advice, i am so glad i found this website! i think she is broody, but i am a chicken keeping novice so i cant be 100% certain. The puffing up of feathers is happening pretty much constantly, and she has gone from being my most timid and shy hen to being a grumpy monster overnight. I have never seen her sit on the nest before (except to lay an egg) and this time last week i couldnt get near here, not even with a handful of grapes because she is so timid, but when i lifted her off the nest to put her in the broody coop she didnt even flinch. She also started to attack my other two hens and puffing herself up and dropping her head if they went anywhere near the chicken house. Is this aggression a sign of broodiness?
Yesterday she had laid an egg in the broody coop, but it was completely soft shelled. Could this be through the stress of being in the broody coop?
Hello Alison
There shouldn’t be a problem when your hen returns to the flock.
The comb not turning pink is because you caught her so early. Are you sure that she is broody? Mrs Squeaky likes to sit for hours in the nesting box and often I think that she is going broody but spot her out later on with the rest of the flock.
The signs of broodiness are, refusal to leave the nest, a puffing out of feathers so the hen starts to resemble a floppy tea cosy when on the nest. The comb losing colour.
I made a broody coop yesterday (sunday) after reading this page when my hen went broody on saturday. The broody coop is in the garden on legs and i put it in the garage at night. As she is completely isolated from my other two hens, will there be any problems between them when i finally release her? Also, her comb is still red, it never turned pink – is this because i caught her so early? The only other signs i can look out for are the grumpy clucks and the puffing up of her feathers. I cant wait until this is over!
Hello Ingrid
I do hope that the anti broody coup works for you! Thanks for leaving a comment.
I wish I’d visited your website earlier – I’ve a pekin bantam who has been broody for over two weeks and another one who appears to be just starting – guess what my husband is making this bank holiday!
Hi Jeff
I’m sorry to skip you!
Great to hear that you built an anti broody coop.
You will feel a pig and your chucks will rage inside the coop but it is a quick and effective way of getting them out of the broody state. So in the end you and the chickens will be happier.
Next time you could try raising a few fowl under a broody hen. It’s great fun. You could always give them away if you don’t want to keep whatever you are raising. It’s nice for the chickens too.
Hi Katie
Sometimes it takes a bit longer than 21 days for bantam eggs. I’d leave her for at least another four days or until she wants to get off the nest. If there’s no activity after a week something has probably gone wrong and you need to investigate.
I’d love to hear how you get on.
My bantam has been sat on fertilised eggs for 21 days now and I was wondering how long she should stay there. What happens if the eggs don’t hatch, how long should I leave the little hen as I am new to this. Thanks
Thanks for your advice, I have just built a broody coop and 3 of our 4 Maren Xs are at the moment very unhappy in the coop.
The fourth, not broody, laid an egg in one of the nesting boxes this morning and it was immediatly taken over by one of the broody girls ! ! !
We live in France and with a largish garden which they roam at will (or at least did before going broody) it seems strange not to them pecking around.
We have fenced off our small veg garden just in case but they do not seem to cause any damage to the garden plants and shrubs and it is a pleasure to have them wandering about.
Jeff