How long will this last?

[sepaditty1]

I have 2 bantam orpingtons that went broody almost 8 weeks ago. They were on eggs, but they have all gradually disappeared. They've been on the empty nest for weeks.

Will they just sit there until they starve? I don't want to give them more eggs because they were eating (I assume) the others. What should I do with these girls?

 

[Kelsie2290]

Some broodies will brood just about indefinitely, if you aren't going to let them hatch eggs I would "break" them of being broody... it really isn't good for their health to sit that long since they don't eat/drink/exercise right. Here is a nice article in the Learning Center about broodys and how you can discourage them if you want to https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/encouraging-or-discouraging-broodiness-in-your-hens I like using a separate cage like what they call a broody breaker, it usually works really well. I usually just use a wire dog crate, size doesn't really matter, the bottom wire spacing is usually around 1x4"... you want it really uncomfortable for her to stand/sit on. I put a couple of perches in there and hang small food/water dishes on the sides so they can't stand or sit in them. Put the crate out in the open, I prefer to put them in the middle of the barn aisle or coop so there is a lot of activity and light... you want the hen to be bothered. They don't like to walk on the wire so they spend pretty much all the time on the perches, that works pretty well for most of them. I've never tried it, but some people have mentioned putting a small fan under them to cool them off even more.
I would be looking at other causes for your missing eggs, sometimes broodies do eat eggs, or they break them accidentally, but are the broodies separated from the other chickens... Are you sure the eggs were fertile?

 

[sepaditty1]

Not 100% sure they were fertile, because I didn't open them up. But 99% of the eggs I see & use are fertile.

I never saw broken pieces, but that would be my first guess since they both insist on sharing one little area. They are down between 2 stumps in the run. Other chickens would have access to the eggs while broodies get up.

I'll have to see what I can do to break them of this. I feel bad for them.