advice needed-broody hen,day olds and bad descision

[beegirl4]

Ugh. I've had chickens for a couple of years and I feel like I'm never going to figure this out. I have a broody black astralorp. She has been sitting on golf balls and eggs for two weeks. (I've tried to take the eggs so they don't incubate too long). I don't mind that she is broody (AGAIN), but I cannot have any more roosters. The last time I let her hatch eggs, she had 3 roosters and 1 hen. SOOOO- I bought day old chicks and put them under her last night. I took away the golf balls and eggs, but in the dark, I must have missed one egg. Regardless, I don't think she is interested in mothering these chicks. She just wants them to sit still like eggs. If they get up and leave, she pecks them and then lets them run off. I thought maybe it was because I left one egg....obviously I took it, but its the same thing. I think I bought too many chicks because she really seems to care less if they run off. (she was sitting on 14 egg/balls) I bought 15 chicks and put 11 under her last night. I took the ones that ran off and left her with 4 or 5 that she is now sitting on. I have no idea what to do.

Do I wait this out or just put all the chicks in a brooder and call it a day?
Thanks...

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have had broodies that only wanted to be broody, they don't actually want chicks and don't know what to do with them. I would break her and brood the chicks yourself before she ends up killing them. Not every hen is a good mom.

 

[katelk]

I have had broodies that only wanted to be broody, they don't actually want chicks and don't know what to do with them. I would break her and brood the chicks yourself before she ends up killing them. Not every hen is a good mom.

I second that. I had a hen that killed 6 out of 9 of her chicks that hatched out before I realized it. Since then I just use the incubator and put chicks in a brooder to be safe.
I also am currently dealing with chronically broody hens. Some breeds tend to be more broody than others. The best way to break them I have found is to put all the broody girls together in a mobile run with food and water and no nest. I cover half the run with tarp to they have shade and shelter from rain, but that's it. There is no good place to be broody, so usually it only takes a few days before they are ready to go back out.