Broody getting bullied?

[Lori J]

One of my hens keeps trying to steal the eggs from under my broody hen. She also tries to push her off the nest, or share the nest with her. I have given her eggs to set on in the nesting box next to it, but she won’t stay there, she just continues to harass my broody hen, day and night. She is not exhibiting the typical behavior of clucking and fluffing up her feathers. When she does manage to steal eggs and sit on them, they are cold somehow, and I have checked several times a day this week.

What should I do with her? Should I lock her out? She rolls the eggs away and they get cold. Should I perhaps get a dog crate and put her in it with some eggs? What would you do in this situation?

 

[DobieLover]

I would remove the "non-broody" hen... although she sounds like she is thinking very seriously about going full on broody.
Treat her like a broody you want to break and put her in an elevated wire dog crate with food and water and keep her there for 3 days and 2 nights. Let her out about 1 hour before roost time on the third day and see what she does.
For the broody, have you marked her eggs? You will want to candle them and see if any have quit.
Can you give her a bit more privacy?
Do you have a larger coop? I assume that little prefab is just a broody setup?

 

[Lori J]

I would remove the "non-broody" hen... although she sounds like she is thinking very seriously about going full on broody.
Treat her like a broody you want to break and put her in an elevated wire dog crate with food and water and keep her there for 3 days and 2 nights. Let her out about 1 hour before roost time on the third day and see what she does.
For the broody, have you marked her eggs? You will want to candle them and see if any have quit.
Can you give her a bit more privacy?
Do you have a larger coop? I assume that little prefab is just a broody setup?

Yes its a broody set up. The larger coop will not allow privacy, but i can take the pestering hen out and close the door to the coop. The egg thief was just so persistent!! she has been in there for 5 days. But otherwise, not showing any broody behavior such as puffing up or clucking.
I can take her out though.

 

[Lori J]

I would remove the "non-broody" hen... although she sounds like she is thinking very seriously about going full on broody.
Treat her like a broody you want to break and put her in an elevated wire dog crate with food and water and keep her there for 3 days and 2 nights. Let her out about 1 hour before roost time on the third day and see what she does.
For the broody, have you marked her eggs? You will want to candle them and see if any have quit.
Can you give her a bit more privacy?
Do you have a larger coop? I assume that little prefab is just a broody setup?

So...you mentioned trying to de-broody her...what do you think of the dog crate idea? I don’t think that she will continue the broody behavior if she is locked out of the broody coop and put with the general population. Buuut is there any possibility that isolating her with eggs will push her over the edge and make her broody? She is obviously a broody “wannabe” at this point.

 

[DobieLover]

So...you mentioned trying to de-broody her...what do you think of the dog crate idea? I don’t think that she will continue the broody behavior if she is locked out of the broody coop and put with the general population. Buuut is there any possibility that isolating her with eggs will push her over the edge and make her broody? She is obviously a broody “wannabe” at this point.

I mentioned the dog crate in the first reply. I'm suggesting to break the pest.
I would not close the broody into the broody coop. She needs to be able to come and go from her nest. You are just trying to stop the other hen from fixating on the broody and her clutch. You don't isolate a hen with eggs if you are trying to break her broodiness. You isolate her in a wire bottom crate with no bedding. Just give her a piece of 2x4 board or something to stand on in the crate. Make sure she has food and water and keep the crate in a secure area with the rest of the flock for the duration. Three days, two nights. Keep the crate elevated off the floor so it isn't in the coop bedding.

 

[Lori J]

I mentioned the dog crate in the first reply. I'm suggesting to break the pest.
I would not close the broody into the broody coop. She needs to be able to come and go from her nest. You are just trying to stop the other hen from fixating on the broody and her clutch. You don't isolate a hen with eggs if you are trying to break her broodiness. You isolate her in a wire bottom crate with no bedding. Just give her a piece of 2x4 board or something to stand on in the crate. Make sure she has food and water and keep the crate in a secure area with the rest of the flock for the duration. Three days, two nights. Keep the crate elevated off the floor so it isn't in the coop bedding.

You mentioned a dog crate with a wire floor to break her broodiness - I am asking if you think it is worthwhile to put her in a dog crate (mine does not have a wire floor), with some eggs in order to see if she will go truly broody. Not to break her broodiness.

I repeat, if I locked her out of the broody pen, I doubt she will continue the broody-like behavior.

As far as the other truly broody hen, I have locked her in the coop each time she has hatched chicks. It is because the other hens harassed her. Not in the same way to that the current hen is, They were just coming and going and fussing at her because they wanted that nest. It is a favorite nest. We have another, larger coop. Also, after the chicks are hatched, I thought it best to keep them in the coop for a week away from the other older hens. This did not disturb my Broody because she doesn’t leave the coop while broody anyway. She walks down the ramp and eats drinks and poops, and then returns whether the door is open or not (Which it has been open this whole time because of the 2nd hen). Also, I think this sort of thing is common practice, depending on the set up of the person who has chickens. Many people do it many ways, but I’ve heard many people do it this way and I’ve had no problem.

The white coop is plenty big for a single hen and chicks. The only reason that I have left it open this time is because the black-and-white hen comes and goes once a day, and though she has never tried to go broody before, I thought she might be. Instead she seems to be just harassing my other truly broody hen. The other hens have been staying out even though the door is open, probably because the black-and-white harassing the broody is the most aggressive and keeps them out.

My original question was, of course, Should I kick harassing hen out of the pen. I think your answer is “yes”, although you wanted me to isolate her which I don’t plan to do and I don’t think it’s necessary

I don’t mean to repeat myself but I must not have been clear before so I am trying hard to do so.

 

[Lori J]

I mentioned the dog crate in the first reply. I'm suggesting to break the pest.
I would not close the broody into the broody coop. She needs to be able to come and go from her nest. You are just trying to stop the other hen from fixating on the broody and her clutch. You don't isolate a hen with eggs if you are trying to break her broodiness. You isolate her in a wire bottom crate with no bedding. Just give her a piece of 2x4 board or something to stand on in the crate. Make sure she has food and water and keep the crate in a secure area with the rest of the flock for the duration. Three days, two nights. Keep the crate elevated off the floor so it isn't in the coop bedding.

For whatever reason, this issue has been weighing on me. It’s just been hard for me to make a decision on it. I was hoping There was a clear-cut answer.

 

[Sahraschweiss]

preface: I've only been chicken-ing for a year.

When we built our coop and run, we did with the idea in mind that one of our girls would go broody or need to be separated from the flock but not leave it. So we made a gated off broody coop within my coop and a broody run within my run. The pop doors are side by side. We did this so older girls could get used to babies and for others that needed a safe place could still be in the flock.

Right now, I have my first broody in it on week two of eggs along with 6 5 week old chicks. I suppose that is how it goes with chicken-ing. So far everyone is getting along.

 

[Lori J]

preface: I've only been chicken-ing for a year.

When we built our coop and run, we did with the idea in mind that one of our girls would go broody or need to be separated from the flock but not leave it. So we made a gated off broody coop within my coop and a broody run within my run. The pop doors are side by side. We did this so older girls could get used to babies and for others that needed a safe place could still be in the flock.

Right now, I have my first broody in it on week two of eggs along with 6 5 week old chicks. I suppose that is how it goes with chicken-ing. So far everyone is getting along.
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Thank you for the pics! Very helpful!

 

[Lori J]

Thank you for the pics! Very helpful!

preface: I've only been chicken-ing for a year.

When we built our coop and run, we did with the idea in mind that one of our girls would go broody or need to be separated from the flock but not leave it. So we made a gated off broody coop within my coop and a broody run within my run. The pop doors are side by side. We did this so older girls could get used to babies and for others that needed a safe place could still be in the flock.

Right now, I have my first broody in it on week two of eggs along with 6 5 week old chicks. I suppose that is how it goes with chicken-ing. So far everyone is getting along.
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You have a great set up, also!