Broody hen, needs to stop...

[43jeeper]

Three hens here, all about one year old now. I had a previous flock of 9 hens, never one broody. Now Ive got one that has gone broody, and Ive tried a variety of things to discourage her, but she persists. A fourth member of the flock wouldnt be so bad, and so Im wondering if I give her what she wants - a chick - will she begin laying again, and stop being broody? I dont want this broodiness to spread to my other two hens. I need those eggs!

If the chick isnt an option, has anyone successfully stopped a broody hen by behavioral methods? Also - Im assuming if I introduce a single chick to the flock, that I'll need to seperate 'mother' and chick from the other two, to keep it safe?

Do I need to keep her and the chick seperated from the other two hens? And will she get territorial about the coop/laying boxes if thats where she keeps the chick? Im trying to get egg production back in swing. I dont want to get a chick to salve her broodiness only to find out it results in the same behavior towards the other hens....

 

[Fishkeeper]

You have to let her finish the broody period naturally and then give her chicks, you can't just give her a chick early. She has an internal clock counting down to when eggs should happen. She may not start laying eggs right away, either, and no, it shouldn't spread.

To stop a broody hen, cool her underside down. Put her in a dog crate that's raised up off the ground, with food and water included. She'll be really upset at being off the nest, but will calm down eventually. If that doesn't work, you can lightly dip her belly in water.