Fixing that Moody Broody

The weather's been so warm in the Midwest.... The Bearded Lady is content to sit on eggs all day long, or just sit in the wood shavings and pretend there's an egg under her. How do I know she's broody?

1. I haven't seen a turquoise egg in a couple weeks.

2. She's docile compared to most broody hens, but she still hisses at me and ruffles her feathers when I collect from under her.

3. She growls at the other hens.

4. She's most often found in the laying box.

5. Her comb is shrinking.

6. She's starting to get boney.

When she's laying, it's a beautiful turquoise egg. The Sister Wives, her Leghorn friends, lay these beautiful white eggs.

Why don't I want her sitting on eggs? For starters, they aren't fertilized... our rooster, Blue Gill, was killed by an owl last fall and we haven't replaced him. Last time we added a few hens to our originals, they went on strike and didn't lay for a month, so I won't be replacing Blue Gill for fear of missing out on breakfast!

She also spends so much time laying that it's taking a toll on her health. She only gets up a couple times a day to relieve herself and eat a little, the other ladies spend the entire day pecking the ground.

How can I adjust her attitude? All it takes is changing the temperature of her bottom. The best way to do this is to hold her in cold water. It sounds horrible, but once she's in.... she quite enjoys it.

I've always used a fruit drawer from our spare fridge, you could also use a bucket or tote. Be sure your water is nice and cold. The next step required help from my farm hands. The boy model is the best at extracting the moody broody. Those ruffled feathers say it all.

We've filled our drawer about 3/4 full and will hold her in the water for 10 minutes. She might struggle a little at first, but soon she'll be calm and enjoy the cool bath.

Many hands make light work, and these kiddos love holding hens in cold water. After 10 minutes her attitude is adjusted, she's calm as can be and enjoying the bath.

She's ready to leave the coop now and enjoy some sunshine. Since she was broody for about 2 weeks, she should start laying again after a couple weeks.