How can I push my hen over the edge?

[gritsar]

It's been more than a week now - maybe even two weeks, I lose track - and one of my SFs is still sitting on the nestbox each morning when I open the coop. She sits for most of the day, doing the clucking/tossing hay around thing, and then comes out later in the afternoon to free range with the rest of her flock. She has all the signs of a broody - the puffing up, the growling, the knowing-just-where-to-land-a-bite, the stealing eggs, everything; she just doesn't sit all day. She's still roosting with the other birds at night and returns to the nest (same one each time) sometime early in the morning.

I have plenty of eggs to give her and I kinda want her to go ahead and get started. How can I push her over the edge into full on broodiness? Should I go ahead and give her a clutch of eggs? I've been removing the pullet eggs from under her each day because I only want to hatch more brahmas. I've been waiting to give her a full clutch until I was sure she's serious.

 

[babymakes6]

Could you put her in a dog crate and lock her in? I don't know if it would work, but I would try it.

OT: I love your avatar!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I can lock her up, goodness knows I have enough kennels, but I prefer to leave her in her chosen box. Every time I've moved a hen to a locked crate it's freaked them out (yes, doing it at night).

 

[clintwilson59]

just leave the eggs in there, I'm sure she'll get completly broody.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Thanks. I am removing the eggs right now, because I don't want to hatch eggs from the pullets in that coop. I want to hatch from my LF brahmas that are in another coop. I've collected up 4 so far, when I have 9 brahma eggs total I am going to mark them and then place them in her favored nest at night. Hoping that will do the trick.

 

[Happy Chooks]

Here we go again. Gritty's gonna be overrun with broodies again!

Gritty, you really need to make up your mind. First you want broodies, then you don't, then you do. You're confusing their little chicken brains!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Well, as you know, I wanted a broody for years. Then too many to handle tried to go broody at once. Fortunately silkies are clueless little twits that couldn't get it right, so now I only have my three little chickateers from my SF. Then another SF tried to go broody and I (thought I) broke her. We were planning a trip to Florida and I don't trust my SD to properly care for the chickens while we're gone, let alone a broody. SD is as much a clueless twit as the silkies are. Now our trip has been put on hold, yet again, and since this SF wants to try, I figure why the heck not? If she's anywhere a good a broody as her sister was, I'll have some nice chicks from her.

Makes perfect sense to me.

 

[gritsar]

Oh and I explained chicken math to DH last night. He told me to give her 4 eggs. Four eggs and only half can be expected to hatch, so I really needed to set 8 eggs, plus one more for good luck equals 9 eggs. I would have given her more, but she's a rather small hen and my brahmas eggs are huge.

 

[they'reHISchickens]

I'd give her a nest of golf balls/fake eggs and see if that makes her stay put. THEN you can chance the real eggs.

 

[ranchhand]

*Ranchy is not touching this, even with a 40 foot, 2 stage, aluminum ladder*

Sourland should be along soon to take credit.