Broody behavior

[MysteryChik]

Posted another thread earlier.. about our "broody" hen but have another question Re: broodiness. right now she is sitting on 14 INFERTILE eggs. Found her today in the tractor shed, after seeing her only once (this morning) for the first and only time in 19 days. She and her 10 chicks are free range during the day. Her chicks are about 12 weeks now. She is our First hen and really don't know much about broodiness, or chickens in general. Slowly learning. we moved her to a small coop, by herself, along with the eggs. She is still laying on them.
1.) Should we take the eggs out?
2.) If yes, How long until she might go broody again after we take them away from her?
3.) How long until she starts laying again?

We got her and the chicks for Eggs only and do not wish to hatch any in the near future.

Thanks in advance.. Confused, but trying to learn

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Remove all the eggs and discard them. Be careful they might be rotten after 19 days. Block her nest site or at least collect eggs from it daily. Though if she's broody she won't lay again until about a month after being broken. Unfortunately she will probably go broody every few months.

 

[MysteryChik]

Remove all the eggs and discard them. Be careful they might be rotten after 19 days. Block her nest site or at least collect eggs from it daily. Though if she's broody she won't lay again until about a month after being broken. Unfortunately she will probably go broody every few months.

Okay, thanks so much. I assumed (probably wrong in assuming this) but if she's free ranging during the day, if she were to lay again, she probably wouldn't go back to the same spot?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

She very well could lay in that spot again. It would be a place I would look daily. Do they have a coop with nestboxes? My hens free range all day too but they return to lay in the nestboxes. Keeping fake eggs in them can help show hens where it's safe.

 

[MysteryChik]

She very well could lay in that spot again. It would be a place I would look daily. Do they have a coop with nestboxes? My hens free range all day too but they return to lay in the nestboxes. Keeping fake eggs in them can help show hens where it's safe.

Yes, they have a large coop with nest boxes. Problem is, after my husband took out that first egg she layed in the nest box (roughly three weeks ago), her and ALL of the chicks stopped going into the coop at night. Its an open air coop, an they always had no problem going in by themselves right before dark. (we were given this hen and 10 2-week old chicks about ten weeks ago) She only started trying to wean them about four weeks ago.. a week later, laid an egg in box. He got it out, then two nights later,, she and all the chicks starting roosting in an apple tree. she roosted that tree WITH her chicks two nights,, then disappeared for 19 days. the chicks.. still refuse to go into the open air coop. (its roofed and sided very well, very large 15' x 17 ft) maybe we should lock her in a few days, to show her where home is again?

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I would lock them in for a week or two to bond her to the coop for her own safety. Chickens are on everyone's menu.