Good girl gone broody - how do I know when she's done?

[CrazyTownChick]

I agree. I have had broodies that I tried to ignore, in hopes they would get it out of their system, but after it going on all summer, I realized that was not the best way.

Now I will set up a broody in a penned off area under the roosts with some fake eggs. If she sits, she gets fertile eggs. But sometimes moving them and locking them up is all it takes to break them. Instead of sitting, they spend all day pacing back and forth trying to get out. (Probably wants to go back to her nest box.) If I don’t want chicks, then I don’t put fake eggs in, but since I usually want to take advantage of the set-it-and-forget-it incubator, I‘ve never tested to see how long a broody would sit without fake eggs. That scenario might not work.

A lot of good ideas being bounced around on this thread. Very useful for people searching.

Agree! I love the ideas and various approaches everyone is sharing. Plus the facts, whys, & hows -- always something new to learn. Cooling off the fuzzy butt with air circulating and no nesting worked for our girl.
Now we have the set up for the next time a broody hen pops up -- we'll see if the same set up works again.

 

[chickencoop57]

I had a couple of California Whites go broody on me. (not at the same time) I have 4 nest boxes built into the side of the Coop and when they would get off the nest, for a break, they would come back to the wrong nest they were sitting on, every time. Not only did it disrupt the other laying hens but the eggs got cold, so I did like you, and set up a pen in the Green House, with food and water and fixed a nice lil nest out of a milk carton but like yours, she all upset, knocked over food and water and even broke some of her eggs.
I'd had enough! There was a small of part of the garden, that I was not using, and I had fenced off, for a small rooster that I hatched from the incubator but could not get along with the others, and I put her in with him. Well, needless to say, she was not happy, at first, but after about a week, she followed him around liked a lil whooped puppy and had forgotten all about being broody, so I put her back with others. Rooster wasnt happy, now! Lol
So, when the other one went broody, I did the same with her. Oh, she's past her broodiness and has been in the rooster for the past 3 weeks. Didn't wanna make the rooster unhappy, again!

 

[nsanfro]

If you aren't going to let her hatch chicks, you should break her as soon as possible. If I'm in a position that I don't need more chicks ( yeah, right ), I try to break the hen as soon as she gets started.....but most of the time, I'm happy t

Good luck! Let us know how it goes.

After a cooling soak and 2 days in broody jail, she's back to normal! Wish I had done it sooner