Broody hens

[mkearsley]

I think my girls have decided to get broody at the same time

My little white cochin hasn't moved from the nest in about 2 days (although I've picked her up, & taken the egg she lays, leaving her with the golfball. This normally wouldn't be a problem, except that now my three other girls lay their eggs in different places, and unfortunately, its not the same place. Instead of one nest to check, I now have three. My Polish was sitting on her egg & the wydonnette's egg last night. That was fun, because the wydonnette wanted to sleep on her egg, and the Polish wouldn't budge off of the two eggs.

How long with this broodiness last? Is there any way to "unbroody" my cochin? I don't think she's got the body mass to sit on the nest & not eat since she's on the bottom of the pecking order and doesn't get much food to begin with. (The other girls actually attacked here last week while she was sitting on the nest.) I hate the idea of locking them out of the coop, since I think she'll just find a new nest, along with the other girls, and it's been rather nice to not have to hunt for eggs

Any other ideas or suggestions?

 

[queenbeezz]

My Bantam Cochins both went broody at the same time, I tried to discourage them to no avail. They just sat there and refused to move, stealing their eggs didn't work, they sat on other hen's eggs. So I just let them be. Between the two they hatched out 5 baby chicks belonging to the other hens and a baby goose (my kids thought it would be funny to stick a goose egg under one). Throughout the sitting time they traded nests several times and now pretty much have the babies all in one group, including the gosling. We have a baby silkie, three cochins (standard) and a baby of questionable parentage along with a baby Enbden goose that thinks it's a chicken!

 

[mkearsley]

I have a friend who has a rooster who thinks he's a duck because he was raised with them.

 

[yegg]

Have you tried the switching out the egg with an ice cube technique?

 

[Chickangel79]

If you don't want it broody I would take the golf ball out.
She is waiting for that to hatch when you have removed all other eggs.
I have just put 3 hens into a concrete shed type thing, on their own with no bedding t nest down into, they can't see the coop or run or hear the other hens, I am estimating 3 days and nights in here will do the trick!

 

[mkearsley]

Quote:
What's that?

 

[mkearsley]

Quote:
I was just thinking about removing it this morning when I went to check for eggs. She hasn't laid anymore eggs, so its still just the golf ball. I was also planning on cleaning out the bedding, but putting fresh bedding in there.

Will broody hens starve themselves trying to hatch eggs?

 

[Chickangel79]

I don't think they starve themselves but do got pale combs because they only come out about once a day. I turf mine out if I haven't noticed them eating and they soon go straight back on the eggs. I would get that ball out and see if there is anywhere you can separate it. change the bedding too., maybe rearrange the nest boxes also lol. All 3 of mine that went in are now broken. They didn't like me much but were safe dry and fed. Just got to wait for eggs again now !!

 

[nuchickontheblock]

I've got 3 hens and 2 are persistently broody -- they trade off - first one and then the other. But this Spring it was both together, and it was bad. I don't have a roo, and not wanting to increase the flock at this time. The cure this time around was changing them to our new coop with unfamiliar nest boxes - they were a bit batty for 36 hours, but that was the end of the broodies for now.

In the past, I have separated them in wire cages, with food and water, but no bedding and that took care of it. the ice cube method I haven't tried but I've read that you put a few ice cubes in the nest and it cools their chest/tummy enough that it changes their hormonal state.

Think I'll try it next time (which should be about 2 days after they start giving me eggs again).

 

[NottinghamChicks]

Just when my Sikie mix momma started laying eggs again her sister went broody on me. I don't have many egg layers (only 5 ) so I gave away the other one on CL and hoping to get a pullet or two from her new clutch. I think I have two girls out of the five babies momma hatched, a Polish, and a RIR.Cochin mix. I only need one broody in my flock as I only do one hatching a year for both meat and eggs. I leave it up to nature and sometimes nature is a bit too generous