Broody hen won't leave the infertile eggs...

[Gailchickie]

All 5 of my hens seem to want to lay their eggs in the same box...the one that my one broody hen has claimed for her own. I've barely been able to snatch the eggs out from under her the last three days (she is NOT pleased with me). Should I try to find some fertile eggs to put under her, and leave her alone (hoping the the other hens lay somewhere else?) Will she stop being broody sooner if she has some eggs that will hatch? Help!!!!???-Gail

 

[Orpstralope]

Do you want baby chicks or not? I;d recommend pulling her out of the box if you don't want her sitting on the eggs. It won't hurt and she'll probably go broody again soon.

 

[jen5680]

Quote:
If she is broody she will try and hatch anything!! All of the chickens will lay there eggs there and she will keep sitting on them fertile or not.
If you give her some fertile eggs to sit on just make sure and mark them and then just pull all the other eggs that your other chickens lay in her box.
Then she can hatch the fertile ones and you will no what is what.

 

[Yogaliciouschick]

Be careful getting the eggs my broody monster chicken pecked me so hard the other day it gave me a bruise! Broody hens are DANGEROUS!

 

[clarmayfarm]

Hi,

If you want her to not be broody, try penning her away from the coop for a couple of days.

If you put fertile eggs under her, you could line a cage with straw or shavings and shut her in once she is definitely settled. Move her in at night with the eggs, and she should calm down easily.

I do this and let mine out 2 x daily to eat for 10-15 minutes. They seemed to hatch well. It would be better, though, if you had a big enough cage to have water and food in front of her. she will still need to take poop breaks!!!

 

[Gailchickie]

I guess I want to do whatever will make her stop being broody the fastest! If hatching chicks will do it, then that's fine! If I take her away and she's just going to keep going broody, then she'll drive me nuts! I guess my maternal instincts are making me sympathetic!!!!

 

[D'Angelo N Va.]

she will continue to sit and sit unless she hatches out some chicks or you break her by penning her up away from the nest and not with another nest either..or nest box.