Broody hen won't move

[aart]

Thank you for all your help its now day 21 so I'm waiting and hoping they hatch soon

Cross yer fingers!!
Give it until day 23 or so......sometimes they are a little 'late'.

 

[jep1202]

I'm also new to BYC and to chickens. By reading everyone's post I believe I have a broody. She will not get off the nest so I pick her up and put her with the others just to have her run straight back to the coop. My other chickens have stopped going in to lay. I worried and wondering what to do? Please help!!

spenje

 

[Willie84]

From what I have read and of what people have told me, have her sit on some fake eggs to make sure she won't leave the nest and then move her to her own space ( brooder) and slip some fertilised eggs under her at night if you are wanting to hatch some little ones.

 

[aart]

I'm also new to BYC and to chickens. By reading everyone's post I believe I have a broody. She will not get off the nest so I pick her up and put her with the others just to have her run straight back to the coop. My other chickens have stopped going in to lay. I worried and wondering what to do? Please help!!

spenje

From what I have read and of what people have told me, have her sit on some fake eggs to make sure she won't leave the nest and then move her to her own space ( brooder) and slip some fertilised eggs under her at night if you are wanting to hatch some little ones.

Yep...but if you move her, leave her with the fake eggs for a time until you're sure she will accept the move and settle back into broodiness....then give her fresh fertile eggs.


Also:
You'll need to decide if you want her to hatch out some chicks, and how you will 'manage' it.
Do you have, or can you get, some fertile eggs?
Do you have the space needed? She may need to be separated by wire from the rest of the flock.
Do you have a plan on what to do with the inevitable males? Rehome, butcher, keep in separate 'bachelor pad'?
If you decide to let her hatch out some fertile eggs, this is a great thread for reference and to ask questions.
It a long one but just start reading the first few pages, then browse thru some more at random.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/496101/broody-hen-thread

 

[appps]

I'm also new to BYC and to chickens.  By reading everyone's post I believe I have a broody.  She will not get off the nest so I pick her up and put her with the others just to have her run straight back to the coop.  My other chickens have stopped going in to lay.  I worried and wondering what to do?  Please help!!

spenje

If you search breaking broody you will get lots of threads that may help too but in a nutshell if you don't plan to give her eggs to hatch then there is nothing to be gained by letting her sit, eating and drinking very little and not laying, for the next couple of months till she eventually gets tired (or undernourished) enough to stop.

To make her stop there is only one thing you have to do, keep her off the nest 24 hrs per day. Continue that for 3-4 days. If you let her keep running back or you let her sleep on it at night it won't work and will just keep going on and on.

How you keep her off really doesn't matter. I just ran some cheap plastic mesh wire up one end of my run and confine them in there during the day to wander round (read pace with frustration lol) with food and water and then around 4:30pm lock my nesting box up and let her back in with everyone else. Works fine. Others lock them in small cages, dunk them in water or put ice cubes under them in small cages. They all work because they are all keeping them off the nest. I just find the the barrier at the end of the run easy.

And agree with aart. If you decide to hatch think about more than the cute bundles off fluff at the end. Having had to Rehome a kids pet rooster due to noise complaints if you aren't ready to accept most of your male chicks will not in fact find happy homes but rather will end up dinner you probably should stick with breaking the broody