Another broody question

[redsoxs]

I know the broody issue has be exhaustively discussed on BYC but I can't find the answer to my question. For whatever reason I had 4 hens go broody almost simultaneously. I've never had difficulties breaking them of broodiness before but it's always been one bird at a time.
So, my question...can the 4 broodies be in "jail" together? Don't want them to turn on each other since they have seem to have pretty short tempers right now.
A second question...what if you don't break a broody hen? What happens? One of my Buffs is so cranky that she won't let other hens into the nest box so she just sits and sits in her egg-less nest box. Will she just snap out of it on her own at some point? Thanks!

 

[Smoochie]

Broodiness is not good on the hens for long periods of time. I had four broody hens and broke them by playing the sound of baby chicks in the coop for a day and kicking them out the next day. The sound of chicks shifts the hens hormones from guarding to motherly. You can actually see the change it in their expression. I do this for their own good as they are sitting on infertile eggs anyways.

 

[Smoochie]

Sort of like the breast feeding mom who hears a baby crying... Amazing what emotions do to your body.