Help with Broody Hen

[BLaBauve]

I have a 1 year old Brahma hen that went broody a few days ago. She has been sitting on non-fertile eggs. So tonight we snuck outside with a bunch of fertile eggs. We picked her up and took the non-fertile eggs out and replaced with fertile eggs. We put her back on the eggs and she promptly got off and walked around the coop. She peeked her head back at the eggs a few times, but then went and got on a roost!! Any chance she will get back on them tomorrow morning? I took eggs away from her the other day and she found some more the next day. So I'm hoping she'll accept these tomorrow. Thoughts???

 

[Lollipop]

Slim chance, but maybe???? When I swap eggs under my hens, I carefully and slowly do it one at a time and at night. Don`t pick the hen up. The idea is to stress her as little as possible.........Pop

 

[BLaBauve]

Oh no!! The breeder I got the eggs from said it was fine to pick her up and do it. I really hope she goes back to them!

 

[Sir Birdaholic]

If she's truly broody, she'll go back to the eggs. It's nature calling her to do what she's supposed to do.

 

[SpringChickens]

I've never had trouble picking my hen up and moving her. She'd always get back on in an hour or so, but they are all different. If your girl stopped being broody just from being picked up, I suspect she wasn't very broody to begin with. I hope she goes back to your eggs for you.

 

[BLaBauve]

Ok that makes me feel better. I wonder if she will go back in the dark though.... or wait until morning. The eggs are new so if she went to them in the morning that would be fine.

 

[Lollipop]

Well, there ya go. Everybody has had different experiences. Be sure to let us know what she does..........Pop

 

[BLaBauve]

I am SO happy to report that she is back on the eggs! She got back on in the dark! I was joking earlier that she was prejudice . . . . she was sitting on brown eggs, but I replaced them with blue eggs! Apparently she's ok with them now! Thanks for easing my anxiety!

 

[hallerlake]

What if I want to move a broody hen to another coop, so the other hens won't pose a threat to the eggs and chicks? Will that stop her?

 

[Lollipop]

Quote:
Best thing to do is prep the nest and move the eggs before the hen. The single most important thing is to do it at night, in the dark, so as to stress her as little as possible. Be as gentle as you can and after she is moved, leave her alone. Sometimes it doesn`t work, but this is the least stressfull on the situation...........Pop