Broody!

[cackleberryandco]

One of my 10 month old hens, a wyandotte named Darcy, is broody.. it’s our first time dealing with a broody chicken. She’s currently been sitting on about 9 eggs for about three days but we don’t have a rooster… so they won’t hatch. We want our eggs back but I don’t have the heart to take them away from her so is there anything I can give her instead? I was thinking maybe I’d paint some plastic easter eggs white? Please let me know if anyone has had any success with anything else

 

[Chicks in VA]

One of my 10 month old hens, a wyandotte named Darcy, is broody.. it’s our first time dealing with a broody chicken. She’s currently been sitting on about 9 eggs for about three days but we don’t have a rooster… so they won’t hatch. We want our eggs back but I don’t have the heart to take them away from her so is there anything I can give her instead? I was thinking maybe I’d paint some plastic easter eggs white? Please let me know if anyone has had any success with anything else

you have to take her off the eggs completely and sperate her from anywhere with eggs or she might brood herself to death because she will stay broody if they don't hatch so if the eggs are away, she will stop being broody

 

[Chicks in VA]

sorry not trying to be mean just trying to be upfront

 

[cackleberryandco]

you have to take her off the eggs completely and sperate her from anywhere with eggs or she might brood herself to death because she will stay broody if they don't hatch so if the eggs are away, she will stop being broody

I’ve heard that, but I’ve also heard that they will become depressed if you take the eggs away. And I’ve heard they will be broody with or without eggs. She gets up a couple times a day to free range, eat, drink, bathe, and poop. Taking the eggs away wont hurt her right?

 

[Chicks in VA]

I’ve heard that, but I’ve also heard that they will become depressed if you take the eggs away. And I’ve heard they will be broody with or without eggs. She gets up a couple times a day to free range, eat, drink, bathe, and poop. Taking the eggs away wont hurt her right?

nope not one bit but wear a glove because Broodys can peck hard

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They might get depressed but depressed is better than dead if they fail to quit themselves.
Heart or no heart, the best thing to do as an animal husbandry steward when there is no chance of eggs hatching is to break the hen from broodiness, give her fertile eggs or wait and give her chicks at night in a couple weeks.
The tried-and-true method of breaking a broody that has succeeded for centuries is to put the hen in an elevated wire bottom cage with a bit of food and water for a couple days and the saga is over.

 

[cackleberryandco]

They might get depressed but depressed is better than dead if they fail to quit themselves.
Heart or no heart, the best thing to do as an animal husbandry steward when there is no chance of eggs hatching is to break the hen from broodiness, give her fertile eggs or wait and give her chicks at night in a couple weeks.
The tried-and-true method of breaking a broody that has succeeded for centuries is to put the hen in an elevated wire bottom cage with a bit of food and water for a couple days and the saga is over.

Okay so what if I were to tell you that separating her isn’t an option? Should I just have my mom go out frequently during the day to collect eggs so she doesn’t have any to sit on?

 

[Chicks in VA]

Okay so what if I were to tell you that separating her isn’t an option? Should I just have my mom go out frequently during the day to collect eggs so she doesn’t have any to sit on?

yep and for a recommendation have a place to sperate them so if one gets sick or like this again you can separate them (just an idea though)

 

[3KillerBs]

Some broodies will break themselves if they sit long enough -- but they lose weight and their health deteriorates.

Other broodies will sit until they die.

Here is a useful article for you: https://www.backyardchickens.com/ar...rst-turkey-strut-to-weaning-the-chicks.76878/

And this is my Outdoor Broody Breaker: https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/outdoor-broody-breaker.76592/

 

[cackleberryandco]

yep and for a recommendation have a place to sperate them so if one gets sick or like this again you can separate them (just an idea though)

I have separated my chickens before.. one of mine had sour crop for three months and was in my house and the other had to be separated for a week so she would lose her spot on the pecking order and stop bullying others. I do have a place but it just isn’t available at this moment because my garage was damaged by a recent tornado and she has nowhere to go