Broody with no babies, what to do with her?

[MizzClucker]

No one is selling chicks this time of year, but I will put an add up on kijiji.

 

[MizzClucker]

You guys are right, I shouldn’t let her brood anymore. So if I can’t find any chicks how do I break her?

 

[Morrigan]

It depends on how gung-ho she is at brooding, and how much time you have.

If you have the time, the first thing I would try is simply removing her from nest 3 to 4 times a day, and in the evening putting her on the roost with the other chickens. Collect any eggs religiously, so she does not see any to sit on. I've broken a couple of broodies that way. It took 4 or 5 days. With it being so late in the year, that may be enough.

Although I've never had to do it, a lot of folk have had success putting the hen in a "broody buster" which is basically a wire bottomed cage (like a rabbit cage) raised on bricks so she feels air under her and has no place for a nest. Make sure she has food and water in there.

 

[50-45-1]

It sounded to me like the black chick had a couple more days and it would have maybe hatched normaly.
The nest was very smelly, sounds like an egg or two broke or exploded under her. The marks were gone so who knows.
I have never heard of a chicken egg taking 27 days to hatch.
I definately think it is to late in the year as far north as you are to set her again now.
Do any of your local feed stores have chicks now?
I was in one of our stores the other daY and they still offered about three varities.
if not, i would break her from broodyness now and try again next year with a better set up.
Sorry for your disapointment.

 

[Morrigan]

Meant to add -- when you take her off the nest, put her outside, far from the nest. I might throw a few sunflower seeds or something to occupy her so she doesn't immediately rush back to the nest.

 

[Crazy for Chickens!]

If you wish to break her, put her in a hanging cage, with no bedding, maybe a stick to roost on and some food and water. It took maybe 5 days to break mine that way.

 

[Chickens4Life101]

Go to a local hatchery or order some chicks and stick those under her. Also remove the eggs ASAP so they won't explode under her

 

[MizzClucker]

So miraculously I found chicks about an hour away that are hatched last night/today. Going to pick them up tomorrow morning. Now how do I go about introducing them to her? Just slide the eggs out and the chicks in?

We will be moving her and her eggs tonight to a more chick friendly location. It will still be free run with all the other birds, 15 in total. There are 3 roosters in the mix, all gentle and well behaved. But is there anything I should be watching out for?

 

[Morrigan]

So miraculously I found chicks about an hour away that are hatched last night/today. Going to pick them up tomorrow morning. Now how do I go about introducing them to her? Just slide the eggs out and the chicks in?

We will be moving her and her eggs tonight to a more chick friendly location. It will still be free run with all the other birds, 15 in total. There are 3 roosters in the mix, all gentle and well behaved. But is there anything I should be watching out for?

Insert chicks after dark. Don't "show" her the chicks, just tuck them in behind her. I use the hand without the chicks to distract her while I'm inserting the chicks. It may be stupid, but I always put in an egg shell in with the chicks. You want her to think they hatched under her, rather than coming from you. Then watch and check in over the next couple of hours to make sure she is not attacking or driving the chicks out of the nest. Unlikely, but still a possibility.

I've raised all my broody-chicks in the main coop with all the other hens and rooster. Mom usually protects them just fine. Very few hens or roosters are chick aggressive.

Good luck, and please let us know how it goes.

 

[Morrigan]

Also, if she won't accept the new nest, you can move her back to the old one. Then, you move her with the chicks to the new location, once you are sure she has accepted the chicks. You will know she has accepted them, because she will be clucking at them and generally letting them crawl around and over her.