Brooding chicken with no rooster

[carlsberg]

We have 4 chickens and no rooster. One of our chickens seems to be brooding and the other 3 seem to be be picking on her when we force her out of the coop. Last night we discovered the brooding chicken in the coop and the other 3 roosting in the corner of the garden. What would be our best plan of action.
The brooding one doesn't come out of the coop uless encouraged. We have only noticed this happening the last couple of weeks.

 

[WalkingOnSunshine]

What you're seeing is totally normal. Broodiness has nothing to do with whether a rooster is present or not. It's a hormonal change within the chicken. You can't make it happen, but when it does it can be difficult to break.

The best method I know is to put her in a wire-bottomed cage with no bedding for a few days. Some people put the cage up on sawhorses or something similar so air flows underneath her. This tends to break them of broodiness.

The other option you have is to move her someplace where she can have some privacy, and give her some golf balls to sit on. Then order some hatching eggs and put them under her!

I personally wouldn't let her sit on nothing until she comes out of it on her own. When a hen is broody they don't eat or drink or poop very often (my current broody hen goes 3-4 days between trips off the nest) and it's hard on their bodies. Also, they can't count days, so some will sit and sit and sit with nothing to hatch and no chicks to break them out of their trance. They tend to get very skinny, since they are basically starving themselves.

 

[just diane]

thanks for the info, I too had one doing this, I just set her outside now and then and yes she got picked on, I had fake eggs and had to take them away from her and others. I have a bench type nesting box, where they made 3 nest, she favored the one and wouldn't let another sit there. I also have homemade nesting boxes guy that made them made most too small, so they like the larger ones. My bitty finally came off the nest, after weeks of doing this, She looks rough now, her feathers are not like the others. Lots of small feathers in the henhouse,.. is she pulling them out or just falling out from her ordeal. will she be OK.. she is running around with the others... free range.