Help with broodie hens

[farmerc]

This is my first time posting so I hope I'm doing it right I have at least 3 cochins that are broodie and have been for awhile. One batch was due to hatch two weekends ago and I found two dead babies mostly in the shell under one of the hens. But she was still sitting. Then two others started and then eggs started getting broken in all three boxes and they were sitting in big messes. I took all but 10 eggs out and cleaned everything up (3 days ago) and divided the 10 eggs between the 3 boxes. Well I got 3 hens sitting on them but then once again they are getting broken and one of them had most of the shell missing but the membrane still intact so I opened it and there was a mostly formed chick in there but dead. This is my and my hens first time. I have not separated them from the rest of the flock. Any suggestions on what is happening?? I just hatched 13 in a bator (set before the broodiness stated) and bought 10 chicks before that. I don't really need more but thought it would be fun. Not so much so far. Thinking of taking all eggs away and not let any sit and also need to get rid of my roo. He's meaner than mean. Thanks for any help!

 

[JustAChickenLittle&More]

Aboiut the broody hens...if you want to try to get them to set wthout breaking the eggs, you may try putting each one by itself in their nest of eggs. Most likely it is just too much jumping around but then again there are some chickens that peck at and try to eat the eggs...so if you put each one alone with their clutch, maybe you can find out who is too jumpy or overactive or who may be pecking at the eggs. You can always pull the eggs out when they lay and incubate again. :

I love cochins but the roos I've had in the past were huge and meaner than mean.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I'm not sure what is going on. You might have a hen that eats eggs. You might have a rat eating the eggs under the hens. It could be that other hens are trying to lay with the broody and the broody does not like that and they fight, so eggs get broken. Maybe your egg shells are thin and easily broken when the hens step on them or try to turn them. It may be something totally different.

You might try reading this thread. I don't know if you will get anything out of it or not, but it might help, even if you don't isolate them.

Isolate a Broody? Thread
https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=213218