Chook still broody after adopting

[Esther1228]

I have a hen who has been broody for nearly 4 weeks. I tried all my usual tactics to un-brood her, but she is particularly stubborn. As a last measure I put 3, day old chicks under her last night. She has successfully adopted them and is teaching them how to chook and being a good mother. However, she is still sitting on the nest. She is in a cage, with just a bit of hay, which she has made her new nest out of, so its not even the same nest she has been on the last few weeks.
I am wondering, does she still think she has some eggs to hatch (shes never even had any eggs under her for more than a few hours) and will get off the nest in the next day or so? Or what should I do to break the broodyness, while still being able to raise these new chicks?
Thank you!

 

[Debbie292d]

If she's in a cage, how much room is in there? I'm just picturing like a dog kennel and she has barely has anywhere else to go but the nest.

Can you let them free range or be out with the other chickens? She'll protect them from other hens, and if you have a rooster, he'll usually help her. Then you might find she spends less time sitting on the nest.

Another question, how cold is it there? If it's cold, she may be sitting on the nest to keep them warm as they're still very young and could die if they got too cold for long.

 

[Esther1228]

If she's in a cage, how much room is in there? I'm just picturing like a dog kennel and she has barely has anywhere else to go but the nest.

Can you let them free range or be out with the other chickens? She'll protect them from other hens, and if you have a rooster, he'll usually help her. Then you might find she spends less time sitting on the nest.

Another question, how cold is it there? If it's cold, she may be sitting on the nest to keep them warm as they're still very young and could die if they got too cold for long.

It's 1.5 x 1.5m, deffinetly big enough for her to move around. I'm just worried if I let them out, she'll move back to her old nest, which the chicks won't be able to get to her then.
Deffinetly not cold, 41°C yesterday and 35°C today
No rooster.

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[Debbie292d]

It's 1.5 x 1.5m, deffinetly big enough for her to move around. I'm just worried if I let them out, she'll move back to her old nest, which the chicks won't be able to get to her then.
Deffinetly not cold, 41°C yesterday and 35°C today
No rooster.

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Can you block it off?

 

[Ridgerunner]

If she has adopted those chicks it is highly unlikely she will return to her old nest and abandon them. Frankly, I'd never even think of that as a possibility. But you can certainly watch her and see what happens. When you are dealing with living animals anything can happen.

When a broody hatches or I get chicks from the post office the chicks tend to spend a lot of time under the hen or in a warm spot. But by the time they are 3 or 4 days old they typically become a lot more active, they don't need the constant warmth that much. Maybe they are still quite young.

Do you have food and water in that cage? They may not need to travel and run around that much.

There are different stages of being broody. First is the incubation phase, then the hatching phase. She should now be in the raising baby chicks phase. She is dealing with the situation you are giving her.

Personally I'd let them out to roam, but my circumstances are different from yours. If you want to leave them in that cage for a while you certainly can. Lots of people do that. Good luck!