Broody hen won't get off eggs even to eat, drink, and sleep??

[Annie44]

She is liable to just go back and set on the empty nest. You really need to get her out of the nesting area altogether. As far as not eating when confined, we have never had that problem.
We give them goodies...chopped fruit, oatmeal, whatever they like...in addition to their regular food..to make being confined more bearable. They won't starve themselves to death unless they
are sick.

Ok! Thanks! That's good to know, I will give her goodies. Like I asked the person above, do you think it would be ok if the broody breaker was in the run? She could see the other chickens so maybe that would make it easier for her as well.

 

[JackE]

That's what I do with my BroodyBuster. I hang it up, right in the coop, high up by the ceiling. I put a piece of scrap rolled up chicken wire on top to keep her 'Friends' from getting on top and dumping in her water. I guess you could hang it up in the run, if it's covered. Don't want her to sit out there and get rained on.

 

[donrae]

It's fine to break her in the coop. The main thing is she does not have access to a nest.

 

[ChickenLegs13]

She gets off the nest to eat drink and poo. You just don't see her do it. Look down, see that huge pile of poo that's 5 times larger than all the other poo? That's hers.
A hen *might* lose some weight in the 21 days she's on the nest but you have no worries unless she sits for a lengthy period past 21 days. Some of my hens seem to get fatter while they're sitting, but most seem to lose a little.
Got a hen rite now that set bad eggs for 12 days till I ditched them and gave her new eggs, she's been on them for 11 days. She'll spend 33 days in the nest and I'm not the least bit concerned or give her special treatment.
Sorry, that helps you zilch with your problem cause you're not hatching chicks, do what they broody busters said.

 

[appps]

Thank you all for such helpful answers! Well.... I'm not allowed to get a rooster in my neighborhood (too loud) So I decided to just pull her out of there... She put up quite a fight, but once I took the eggs she went outside normally and ate, drank etc. She'll probably go back to being broody but if I keep the eggs in check she should be fine. Thanks again!!

Ahhh if only it were that easy lol. A broody will quite happily spend weeks trying to hatch nothing more than the straw lol

I have one that will peck you when on the nest so I always just wear a pair of gardening gloves when moving her round. Thankfully the rest are all growl but no bite

To stop a hen being broody she has to be unable to get on her nest for 3 days, and that means 24 hours a day for 3 days. It doesn't really seem to matter I've found how you achieve that, its just about not letting her back on.

Personally we do it by locking them in what we call Alcatraz lol which is a 3m x 3m run we closed in under the kids cubby house When we let her back in the coop at night we close the door to the nesting box first so she has to sleep on the roost.
I have a silkie and silkie x hens who are known for being hard to break from broodiness and its never not cured one after 3 days.

Good luck!

 

[chicknmania]

Ok! Thanks! That's good to know, I will give her goodies. Like I asked the person above, do you think it would be ok if the broody breaker was in the run? She could see the other chickens so maybe that would make it easier for her as well.

yes, that's fine. We keep ours penned in the barn where they can see and socialize with the others.