Broody Hen in the winter !!!??? Help !!!

[HennyPenny13]

I need help desperately!!! My hen Brandy has been broody for 40 days she is siting on top of four fake Easter eggs. The problem is ..... its winter here in Northern Michigan!!! I have witnessed her leave the coop twice. The first time she left the coop she was looking for the rest of the flock and when she found them four of my other hens started to chase and peck her so she returned to the coop. The second time was when everyone was leaving the coop in the morning it was chilly ( 22 degrees ) she had a fit at went back in. She has been eating apple, feed and scratch and always has accesses to clean Luke-warm water. But her comb and face is a pink Grey color and I'm worried, she acts healthy and has been eating drinking as well as relieving herself. Is there another option to breaking her broodiness because I certainly can not put her in a cage she will freeze to death !!! Its a difficult situation because hens are generally supposed to go broody when its warm I'm lost and I'm a new chicken mama who's worried about her girl HELP!!!!!!!!

 

[Chick_In_The_Burbs]

Maybe try finding someone with chicks (hard but not impossible this time of year) and slip them under her.

With the cold and all I don't have many other thoughts that won't leave her shivering. :/

 

[plumtownwingers]

I had a broody a few weeks ago. I live in wisconsin, so it is cold here too. I put her in a cage with her two best friends to help keep her warm. Three days later I let them out and all was well. She began laying again last week.

 

[Cebarmlds]

Had a broody here not long ago also! she was broody for more than 2 months! over 60 days then she just got over it and was laying within a week. I don't like the idea of caging them up just sounds mean to me.

 

[HennyPenny13]

This morning Brandy thought about leaving the coop, she had to think about it but then returned to the nesting box : / day 43.....

 

[galanie]

If it's day 43 then she'll stop in another week or so. I've had a determined broody go 2 months w/out eggs but once she got some, she kept sitting. Same hen won't if she's not able to set on eggs. Most quit sooner but some later. You've already waited this long, may as well let her get it out of her system.

Putting them in a cage up off the ground so that air can get under them is the best way to break them. I have a SEX LINK that is broody right now and don't have to heart to put her in the "broody breaker" so I understand your reluctance to do anything. I swear, Everything goes broody around here. Any day now I expect the cat to start sitting on a nest and daring me to check it for eggs. Sheesh.

 

[JanaBanana1]

I live in Washington state and we have been in the negative digits. Right now I have TWO broody hens that just turned 6 months old. They have been broody for a bit over 2 weeks with snow and all. We have a lot of snow. I was so surprised myself, so I contacted a chicken expert I know and he gave me 5 fertilized eggs. Today I had to put up curtains on their nesting boxes so the other hens would leave them alone. We just (might) have baby chicks on Valentines day. Not sure how well it will go after that. :/

 

[HennyPenny13]

Brandy finally broke of the broodiness on day 44