FINALLY, broody hens, buuuut......

[Beaglemomof5]

We’ve had our chickens for 3 years & FINALLY 2 of them have decided to go broody, but, they won’t stay on the same nest!!! I have 4 nests & the other hens stand on the ground & fuss at the broody hens because they want to get in the nest to lay. (I have gone in there & find 3 hens in the same nest!) What is aggravating to me is sometimes when I go to feed/check on them, they’ll be one on one end & the other on the opposite end. Next time I go, one of the other may have moved to one of the other 2 nests & another hen will be in the broody’s nest. When I first noticed she’d decided to sit, I left the eggs that she had under her but sometimes 2 or 3 eggs wouldn’t be under her, they’d be sitting beside her. I had given up hope for ANY of mine to go broody since they haven’t in 3 years, but now they act like they don’t know what to do!! Is there anything I can do to make sure they stay on THEIR nest? Do I need to put her in a pet crate or what?!!! Tia

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

Just because a hen is broody doesn't mean she knows what she's doing. She's just following her hormonal instincts to set. Most don't care where or what's under them. The best thing is to try to move her to a separate pen or crate, and hope she settles there. I've had about 30-40% luck moving a broody successfully. The rest I just break.

You will want to separate the setting hen so other hens don't add eggs to hers, or break and eat her eggs.