Broody issue, Need suggestions please!

[LadyinRed]

Well! I thought it was a little strange that one of my seven hens, a d'uccle cross went missing for a week an a half and then suddenly showed back up IN the coop then disappeared again for another two weeks. My father was poking around in some boxes in the coop and found a very pissy broody hen. Who I later went out and found was sitting on 21 eggs. I don't have a heat lamp in my coop and she has plucked her poor chest bald for those non-fertile eggs. Any suggestions on what to do about taking her off the eggs? No use in having my clearly best layer not laying and I really don't want her sick from a chill in this cold weather

Here is a few pictures of what I found..

She is a very protective momma by the way, got me good twice when I picked her up to count the eggs!

I think I'll call her blackjack from now on.

 

[gritsar]

Remove the eggs and isolate her in a cage or crate, preferably one with a wire bottom so that her bum gets cooled a bit. Don't get her any kind of bedding or nesting material at all.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Quote:
Totally agree. Also, you can give her food and water, just nothing that looks like a nest. It helps if it is not too dark also. Broodies don't like the light that much. Make sure the cage is predator proof and keep her in the cage day and night until she is not longer clucking and fluffing up whenever you get close, probably three days. If you let her out and she goes back to the nest, lock her up for another couple of days.

 

[chickenannie]

I'm not sure if this will work, but it might because broken eggs is what tells a hen to leave her nest ... what if you remove all the eggs but 2 or 3 and break them (pour the liquid away elsewhere) ... then let her go back. she'll see that the nest has been "attacked" and hopefully will stop her broodiness.

btw, has anyone ever tried this?