Broody Ameraucana... Maybe?

[biteme2134]

This summer I had my first broody buff. She's doing great in a separate pen with her 6 babies. For the last few weeks one of my Ameraucana has been sitting on the nest and making that same sound like mama buff did when I try to move her. I've been taking the eggs from her as I needed the buff chicks to be a little bigger before I move them.

So I hatched my own out and put one of the day old babies under the Ameraucana last night. I was hoping she'd take it and I could add more. Instead she freaked out! She pecked it... It ran under her... She jumped up... Pecked it again... It ran another direction... She gets out of the box and goes to another box... Leaving the chick alone. So I brought the chick back inside with the others.

My question is... What would you do? Build a broody buster to stop her broody or try again tonight?

She's been in the nest box relentlessly for a few weeks.. I take her out she goes back in... And as far as I can tell she's not laying.

Thanks!

 

[Chook Kingdom]

If you want her to stop, just move her to a new location, in my case a separate pen, I she will stop within a week. If you want her to adopt chicks, my hen is broody now and she did the same thing to chicks from other hens, but now a week later she doesn't mind them and clucks them to come into her nest. They won't follow her because they know you as mom.

 

[biteme2134]

If you want her to stop, just move her to a new location, in my case a separate pen, I she will stop within a week. If you want her to adopt chicks, my hen is broody now and she did the same thing to chicks from other hens, but now a week later she doesn't mind them and clucks them to come into her nest. They won't follow her because they know you as mom.

So just moving her to a new pen for a few days might stop her?

And I was hoping since the chicks were only a few hours old that they'd cling to her... Is that not how it works?

 

[Chook Kingdom]

Yah, cause she can't find her favourite nest. I have two separate pens for my Buff Orpingtons and when they go broody I just flip them to the other side, then reverse. The chicks should like the mom if they are exposed immediately. The way you can tell is if the mom clucks for them and they listen.