Can you UnBroody?

[HobbyChickener]

I have a hen that has decided to be broody (rather strange for a production RIR I thought but to each their own). I don't mind her sitting, if works fine and if it doesn't fine. I don't really have a good way to seprate her out from the others which is where the problem lies. She changes nests almost daily and well and has other hens laying in her nests? she is wasting a lot of eggs, as I don't know which is fresh and which have been set on for a day or 2 so I am having to throw out a lot of eggs. Any thoughts to get her to stop brooding or to stay put?

Thanks
Hobby

 

[birdsofthefarm]

Yea, just lock her out of the coop for a few hours. One of my girls bit she was soo broody but it worked on her. Best wishes

 

[Freebie]

If you want to let her set. Mark the eggs you want her to have and collect the ones that are not marked. Thats what I did when the others laid in her nest. I moved her a day before hatch day to a rabbit cage.

 

[imriu1969]

If you have a metal dog crate, you can try placing her in it for 24 hours (with food and water). Make sure that the bottom is open to the air. You may have to set the crate up on a few blocks. Don't forget to take out any plastic tray that comes in the crate. If the bottom grate is too big you can try turning the crate upside down or laying a piece of chicken wire over the bottom. The idea is to keep her "undersides"

cooled by the air. If you let her out after 24 hours and she still goes to the nest,

try another 24 hours. Most are broke in less than 3 days.

This works for my chickens. Good luck.

 

[Judy]

If you're around to do it, lots of folks break broodiness just by repeatedly removing her from the nest. Of course you can block off the nest if the others are through laying for the day, and at night.

You should be able to pick up a used wire dog crate/cage pretty cheaply, if you want to go the cage method.

If you decide to let her set, yes, mark the eggs (Sharpies work great,) and rearrange things as needed. It might cut down on how many hatch, of course. Lots of folks just leave the mama and babies with the flock when they hatch. If she's a good mama, she will protect them. If she hatches just one, it allows the broody cycle to work itself out naturally.

 

[MIKE555444]

My Dad always insisted on marking the eggs with a pencil ONLY.... He was worried that the ink may make the chickies sick.

I agree with the others... seperated in a small area for a few day ussually works

 

[HobbyChickener]

Well I went out to start off by getting ALL the eggs but there was a bit of an issue. She was gone. I looked everywhere. She should have been in the coop as it was all but dark and she was nowhere to be found. I looked all over for the next couple days thinking she was just out smarting me and moved elsewhere to have her litter, nothing. It has been 10 days and I still have not found her. No feathers, No Nothing.

Hobby

 

[Giammona farm]

The way I get them to lay eggs again is by separating them and not letting them out for 5 days and then if they still are broody separate them for 2 days without food or water.