Little Miss Broody who is actually Emma got kicked out of the coop, because for some reason the other hens were refusing to lay in the nesting boxes as long as she was occupying one. So she is in the unbroody training cage during the day. I really hope this unbroodifies her.
The other hens have been laying sporadically ever since we moved them to the big coop and ever since Emma went broody. I did find a nest of eggs in the back of the barn on top of a hay bale, so we closed that part of the barn off, as you can see in the above picture behind the cage.
And we caught culprit #3…
A cat…I know cats can kill chickens, but I can not believe that this is the animal I saw carrying off the rooster across the field. I might be wrong, but I just let him go.
The raccoon Culprit #2 escaped from the trap. It shows how ingenious and ferocious these critters can be. He literally made a hole through the metal bars of the trap and squeezed through it.
I wonder who will be the next culprit??? I just will rest a lot easier knowing that he won’t eat another hen…
Rosemary, Lavender and Thyme 
I always feel a little bit sorry for broodies when we are trying to break their broodiness but of course sometimes we just have to.
I have read that it works better if the cage is slightly suspended to allow the air to cool her nether regions?
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I also heard this. I’ll go ahead and try it. She doesn’t get all snuggled up and cozy in the cage like she does in the nest. I don’t know if that makes a difference or not. Thanks for the advice. 🙂
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The dog crate raise off the ground works at our house. I feel just a little bad when I do it, but in a couple days she is back with the crew.
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I feel bad too. I can relate with you. Raising the cage off the ground hopefully will help get her over it. I just don’t want little chicks running around until we solve the predator problem, which is really puzzling me, since I figured the critter would return soon for another meal.
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Raise her cage up on cinder blocks, air underneath a broody hens works wonders! 🙂
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Just what I’m going to do as soon as my husband gets home. 🙂
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