How long Broody?!

[vfem]

Ok, this is the first time my chickens have been broody and I decided to NOT give them eggs because its colder out now. Well, my 2 black silkies went broody the week BEFORE christmas. They are still sitting in the nesting boxes... on nothing!!!

How long are they going to keep this up? They could have had a hatch going on 2 by now!!! They've been setting of 40 days!!!!!

Do I need to just give them some eggs and let them hatch again to get it out of their system some. They just hatched some ducks a couple weeks before they went broody again.

Lets just say, I'm really lacking in egg production these days

 

[birdlover]

I wouldn't give them eggs to hatch because they may decide to give up at any time if it's been 40 days. I had a little hen that would STILL be sitting (over 2 months) if I didn't find her two chicks to mother. That's the route I would take. Give them each 2 babies to mother and they'll get off the nest. However, you will have to deal with this time after time if they're silkies. Others here are better at breaking them of their broodiness. I always gave into their whims!

 

[vfem]

I have no problem giving in.... but it being so cold these days, I didn't want to chance losing any babies.

I'll give them another week or so, and hope my last 2 layers don't go broody on me. Then I'll juggle the idea of bring in more chicks, which I would rather not right now.

 

[Chickenaddict]

I can relate

I had 6 broodies out of 13 hens and the others were molting. I managed to break 3 of them and gave in to the remaining 2 only to have 1 of my only 2 serama hens go broody too. Can't win sometimes

One of my girls has been on an empty nest for 2 months and is just now starting to show signs of giving up so its hard to tell, it depends on how determined your hen is i guess lol

 

[WestKnollAmy]

One of my Silkies went broody a few weeks ago. If I had had any eggs I wanted hatched I would have given them to her and left her in the coop all day but as it is I didn't and the small flock she is with go out every day in a pen not connected to their coop so I carry the few of them out every day while we are building new structures.
Anyhow, after 5 days of me taking her off the nest she had made in the shavings on the floor and putting her outside in the pen with the others, she decided being broody wasn't worth it at all. I was glad to find a way to break that broodiness in case I ever need to. I never knew this would break one but I suppose she didn't want to tend a nest out in the pen as well as in the coop.