Brodie Chicken

[arlenena]

Not sure I’m in the right place - if not please direct me elsewhere. We have a chicken that went full blown broody and we tried everything. Finally we caved and got her some freshly fertilized eggs. She has been sitting for about 10 days now. Well every morning there is a battle of the nest box. They ALL want that box. Today they were all stubborn and 3 extra crammed in the box with her. I tried getting them out but very grumpy and I like my hand. So I ended up with 5 extra eggs and 2 broken baby eggs. So sad. My question is, what do I do? We have a separate section we could put her in but there is no nesting boxes in there. What do I do? We have never done this before. Thank you in advance for your help

 

[KimKat33]

So I have not had a hen go broody (hopefully maybe some day I will lol) but I have heard of people moving the broody hen and eggs (at night though) to a separate pen until the eggs hatch. I dont know how well it works or how itll turn out though.

 

[Yardmom]

She doesn't need a box just a nest. I just put hay on the floor with the eggs on top for mine. I have not had any problems moving the brooding hens. I place a cage around, but some people just pick the extra eggs each day.

 

[LateBirdFarms]

A substitute nesting box can be made out of just about anything. I was in your shoes in Nov. I used a plastic dish bin in my brooder portion of my coop and put the eggs and mama in there. I had to set my lady back on the new nest a few times until she calmed down and settled back to brooding herself, but that one moment of anxiety wondering if she would quit brooding was well worth not having to worry about the extra ladies cramming themselves into the nest box my broody had originally chosen.

 

[arlenena]

Thank you! I think I will move her because we need to be out of town for several days and I don’t want to come back to another massacre

 

[Painted Calls]

Is there a way to partition off the nest box she's in? Once they've been sitting that long, they don't take kindly to being moved. Doesn't matter if you take all the eggs with her. She'll know that's not the nest she chose and will go crazy trying to get back to her "nest".

 

[arlenena]

Is there a way to partition off the nest box she's in? Once they've been sitting that long, they don't take kindly to being moved. Doesn't matter if you take all the eggs with her. She'll know that's not the nest she chose and will go crazy trying to get back to her "nest".

I was hoping not to hear this..... To answer your question, not really. She wouldn't be able to get out and eat or drink. We have a box that is divided by 4 spaces and they can usually work out their obsession with the number one box. It's always been the favorite. I don't know what to do now especially since we have to leave town in the morning. My mother-in-law passed away so its not something I can get out of.

 

[Painted Calls]

@aart any suggestions here?

 

[aart]

@aart any suggestions here?

Tough situation with not being able to monitor over the next few days.
Might try putting fake eggs in the other nests to entice the other birds to lay there.

Thank you! I think I will move her because we need to be out of town for several days and I don’t want to come back to another massacre

Might be the best but good chance she may not sit the new nest.

 

[NatJ]

We have a chicken that went full blown broody and we tried everything. Finally we caved and got her some freshly fertilized eggs.

This won't help for now, but if she goes broody again later: when she goes broody, move her to where you would want her to be broody (somewhere safe that's not a popular nest, with food and water and a bit of space to get off the nest when she wants to.)

Either she will settle down to being broody where you want her, and then you can give her eggs to hatch.
Or she will pace back and forth for a few days and break her own broodiness.
Either way, you avoid a repeat of the current problem