Help! Chain of broody

[ErikaSmit]

It all started a couple weeks ago, one of our Jersey Giants went broody. Not much more than a week passed that our Silkie succumbed. Then a couple days ago, one of our buff cornishs fell as well. How do we get them to quit, or at least stop the cycle??? We have 3 broody hens now and only 3 nesting boxes. So instead of the 10 eggs we were getting a day, it's halved. These girls just can't get in there.

 

[Judy]

The eggs are probably being hidden elsewhere, unless they're getting broken. The classic way of breaking a broody is to put her in a wire cage like a dog crate, propped up on something like concrete block, so there is air circulating under her. Give food and water, of course, but no nesting material at all. Hopefully in a few days she will get restless and maybe lay an egg, signaling that she's through. Or separate all 3 of them somewhere and give them some fertile eggs to hatch! I've read of one person who puts them in a pen with a concrete floor and no nesting material. I suppose the coolness of the concrete does the same thing.