Infectious broody hens

[RuralLivingFarmette]

I have a small backyard flock of 7 Isa brown hens, 1 blue laced red roo, 3 Japanese black tail hens and 3 JBT roos. We also have several ducks. One bantam went broody, which led to 1 Isa brown also going broody and successfully hatching a clutch of 6 chicks. I had 3 failed clutches by 2 bantams and another Isa brown. Yesterday my missing bantam shows up with 6 new fluffy chicks. And I'm now missing 3 Isa brown hens and I'm betting they are off somewhere wirh hidden clutches. I also have a bantam sitting on a clutch now . I do love having natural chicks but it's killing my egg production as I am down to 2 eggs a day from 6-8 . I have new hens nearly ready to begin laying (4 leghorns and 3 black austrops) can I do ANYTHING to keep the new hens from going broody? Isa browns are not usually know for broody behavior, neither are leghorns but here I am with broodiness galore
I'm happy to have all the new potential layers in my flock but I'd like to have eggs too
Pictures added because who doesn't want to see chicks?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

If your NEW hens are indeed pure White Leghorns then there is little to no chance that these egg laying machines will ever take to their nests and go to sitting. For all their supposed flightiness a white leghorn is likely to be the last hen that a predator will snatch. IOWs flightiness has its rewards. Young leghorns also lay somewhere between 300 & 350 eggs per year and years ago I had one who laid 365 eggs during a scientific test or study. Put into proper perspective that is over 30 dozens of eggs per year.

 

[True Patriot]

Quite the predicament. The only suggestion I can think of is to break each broody as you can, I don't know if it'll break the apparent cycle.

 

[aart]

Keep birds confined so you can detect and break broodiness promptly....
...and train them back to laying in coop nests.

 

[sylviethecochin]

No suggestions, but my deepest sympathies. I've had one third of my flock go broody this year, and the one is on her second batch.

Note to people who do/don't want broodies: Leghorns from Ideal do go broody. I have two.

 

[RuralLivingFarmette]

Thank you.
My hens are free range usually and generally lay in their nesting boxes. I hope to get more leghorn chickens next spring to balance out my broody hens. In the meantime I guess I'll have to deal with all the adorable chicks lol. Hens I'll keep and roosters will end up on the table so either way it's a win/win anyway I look at it. Next year I'll make a point to break my broody hens before I've reached epidemic proportions

 

[Abriana]

Excuse me for laughing! I loved reading your post!
There are ways to break broodiness. Also what are you going to do with all the cockerels that hatch?

 

[RuralLivingFarmette]

Excuse me for laughing! I loved reading your post!
There are ways to break broodiness. Also what are you going to do with all the cockerels that hatch?

Lol thank you.
Our males will all end up in the freezer at some point. As will the hens as they age out and stop laying.

I love having a large supply of eggs and we even freeze those in peak laying months and put them in the freezer for our winter months! No waste here!