Broody Hens

[Serama Newbee]

Hey there guys, I have two hens that insist on brooding, and I have been trying to make them stop for the last few weeks. They even brood when they don't have any eggs. They are a nuisance, do not lay themselves, sometimes break eggs, and discorage others from laying. Does anybody have any suggestions for how to get hens to stop being broody?

Thanks

 

[sourland]

Pen them in an area away from their nest sites. Anyplace without any nest boxes will do, but a hanging wire bottomed cage is excellent. OR, give them some fertile eggs.

 

[1muttsfan]

I take the offender and put her in an open-mesh wire cage on the floor in the middle of the chicken coop with food a water inside - usually doesn't take more than a few days for them to give up.

 

[Serama Newbee]

When I go to coop my birds at night, I remove both broody hens, and put a sheet of plywood in front of the nests to keep them out for the night. No such luck. They feel content to just sit where ever on the floor for the night and brood shavings.

Neither care if there's eggs in their nest of not, they just want to brood in their own nest, with, or without eggs. Oh, on the matter of hatching eggs with my hens is that when I want them to actually hatch the eggs I put under them, they go for about 15 days, end up cracking half the number of eggs I put under them, and then just give up. They're really frustrating...

 

[sammyj]

I read some other posts on how to break them of this and i tried the head dunking in water and it worked first time! i was reluctant to do this but i did it quick and she was no worse for it! she had been like this for 4 weeks!

 

[SuperChickMama]

I have a broody hen that has been such for about 3 months..... We let her sit on and hatch 7/7 eggs thinking this would help. I made a joke this morning about squirting her with the water hose, and I see a waterboarding suggestion. LOL!!! She is just content to sit and brood anywhere, with or without eggs!!

 

[Sunny Side Up]

This thread has a lot of good advice https://www.backyardchickens.com/t/181289/how-to-break-a-broody-hen

 

[SuperChickMama]

She's NOT broody anymore!!!!! YAY!!!!! She's been out ALL day!!!
Can you tell I'm excited!!