Wonderling

Songster
6 Years
Mar 25, 2018
64
115
147
Oregon
I've got two broody Silkie/Polish crosses that I gave eggs from my big hens to hatch. So the big day came when the first 2 hatched and then Coco went mama mode. I have moved Coco into a separate section of the coop with the chicks. Gucci could care less about a chick crying next to her and only cares about the eggs. She lets the chicks be under her but she doesn't talk to them at all as far as I have seen. Once they dry off after staying warm under her, I move them over to Coco and the other chicks. Chick number 6 is in the middle of hatching under Gucci and then there is one more egg to go.

So here is my question, if Gucci doesn't care about the chicks and only wants to incubate eggs, should I just give her more eggs? How long should I let her be broody for? I'd assume it's not healthy to let her stay broody for extended lengths of time with her only leaving the nest a couple times a day? I don't mind just putting fake eggs under her and then swapping them out for real ones when I'm ready for more chicks but I don't want to do that if it's bad for her in the long run. Suggestions please?

For those wondering about the names: I got fancy chickens so I gave them fancy names to match: Coco Chanel (aka Coco), Gucci and Prada (my polish hen who is not broody).
I think this is more of a behavior question so I hope this is the correct section.
Sorry if I added too much extra info; thanks for any advice!
 
Setting can be debilitating to hens. I would not allow her to set another round of eggs if she were mine.
Thanks, I was thinking she should probably have a break. I'll have to figure out the best way to convince her of taking one though. I'll try to just keep the nests empty once these eggs are finished and see if that does the trick.
 
Thanks, I was thinking she should probably have a break. I'll have to figure out the best way to convince her of taking one though. I'll try to just keep the nests empty once these eggs are finished and see if that does the trick.
Rather than reinvent the wheel, you could try @aart 's tried and tested method, written up and illustrated - a quick search should find it. (There are others methods too; it's a common problem)
 
If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.
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