Broody chicken help

[edwarra]

I have a broody chicken. She has been this way since Sunday. She refuses to get off of the eggs, in fact I have to put her in the coop every night. I think she is losing weight, will she starve? I took the eggs from her spot last night but found her there again without the eggs tonight. What do I do? I work all day so I can't watch her all the time and she has just started this behavior.
Help

 

[Free Feather]

Can you not just let her hatch babies?

 

[edwarra]

I don't have a rooster can't have one where I am

 

[Free Feather]

Well.
She will not starve. Try putting her in a broody breaking pen, perhaps. Or just do not let her have eggs, and maybe she will eventually stop.
Or get hatching eggs...

 

[edwarra]

What is a broody breaking pen how long should I give it

 

[Free Feather]

I personally would not do it, but others say it works. You put them in a cage off the ground or a wire hutch where there is air circulation underneath so it is cool. About two or three days in this with food and water is supposed to work.

 

[ShockValue]

This has worked twice (same bird) for me. I let her out every 24 hours to see what she'll do. First time took 2 days. Second time took 3.

 

[Free Feather]

Do you put that outside, or within another pen?

 

[chalidobrenz]

My EE is going through a molt AND trying to become broody. She's not even laying at the moment, but she crams herself in the nesting boxes with whoever is trying to lay an egg at the time. She looks skinny and haggard with the feather loss. She's a wreck! She kind of half heartedly tries to hatch the eggs (which are not fertilized.. We don't have a rooster) but she lets me take them from under her, and she doesn't seem fully committed to sitting on the eggs. She seems a bit confused. Chicken identity crisis? I put her in a crate today in the coop so she could see everyone else and so she would eat something. She ate two scrambled eggs, two big bowls of food, some raisins, and some scratch. It seemed to help, as when I let her out she pranced out of the coop and run and out to the yard to free range. I'll see how she acts tomorrow. This is my first time with a broody(ish) hen. Good luck!

 

[ShockValue]

Do you put that outside, or within another pen?

Once outside as the weather was mild. Once in the unheated basement since it was very windy and rainy. The trick is to make sure their underside stays cool (without making the bird uncomfortably cold.)