Broody chickens

tomato lady

Songster
10 Years
May 18, 2009
425
5
121
Eatonville, WA
I have 5 broody hens out of 12. They weren't in the nest box, but were huddled up together in a corner. They have been sitting there for the better part of 6 weeks -- no chicks -- probably because they spent too much time fighting over the eggs. Well, I have had enough so I gave the coop a good cleaning, took all the eggs away, and put a plastic recycling box where they had been nesting. When I let them back in (they were locked out while the cleaning took place) they were not happy. They finally decided to brood in the new nest box. It was so funny watching them all try to pile into the box together. Here is a picture of 6 of them in the box. Five are broody and one laid an egg.

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That photo is a riot! Are you going to try to break them of their broodiness or just wait it out?
 
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Sheesh, that's a long time! I don't know the answer to your question, but it would seem to me that it would be time to try to break her. You could try putting her in a wire-bottomed cage (like a rabbit hutch) to let COOL air circulate under her for a few days to a week or so. I've read that it works like a charm (haven't had to use it myself...YET!).

Good luck!
 
My BO was so attached to her pink plastic Easter egg that I left in the nesting box that she brooded over it for about 2 months till I got sick of picking her up every morning and putting her by the food and water (she wouldn't get off by herself). Finally I got 4 newborn chicks and sneaked out the pink egg and substituted the babies. Presto! In the morning her egg had hatched into 4 black babies. She is now a good and proud mother of those miracle babies! (I tried everything else to break her of broodiness but Mother Nature was the only way I could do it).
 
You could also separate them and give them each their own eggs in a separate isolated area. You could have 60 new chicks 3 weeks from now!!!
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Great picture!
 

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