Broody hen trouble. Any help?

[ChickyMomm]

So I have a Tetra Tint hen that has gone broody and she basically has been waiting for other hens to lay in nesting boxes so she can hoard their eggs. I took her off her collection today (I'm pretty sure not even a third of the eggs she was sitting on was even hers) and confiscated her goods. Now she's running rampant through the run, acting nasty towards the other hens and growling at them (I wasn't aware hens could make this noise until I forced her off her pile), and just generally acting really weird. She's kind of isolating herself from the rest of the flock and if the other come near to check out what she's pecking at, she chases them off. I just wanted to know if this behavior is normal for broody hens who have had their eggs confiscated? Does anyone know how long it normally lasts? I don't want her running around being a grump because I took the eggs away from her.

Also if anyone knows how to break this behavior and prevent her from hoarding another huge clutch, could you give me some tips?

 

[sourland]

It's hormonal broody behavior, and time is the cure.

 

[junebuggena]

You could try leaving a few golf balls under her next time you collect the eggs. She won't even notice the difference. In her mind, all small round things are 'her' eggs.

 

[donrae]

If you don't want her to brood, the easiest and quickest way to get her over it is to but her in a broody breaker. Use a wire cage and hang/elevate it so there's good airflow underneath. Food and water in the cage but no nesting materials period. Yes, she'll be unhappy. It usually takes 3-5 days for them to get over it while in the cage. This is the quickest way to reset her hormones and imo the kindest. If you allow her to keep setting on the nest, even with no eggs, it will continue to stimulate her broody hormones and this will simply drag out longer.