Miracle two-hour broody cure! (Updated this morning)(Afternoon update)

[HHandbasket]

While there are many methods discussed of breaking a broody, please try to realize that you cannot really "break" mother nature's urges. You can merely delay them at best.

I have a hen that's only 10 months old and has gone broody for the second time already this year. I tried everything to break her, and all it did was put off the inevitable. I patted myself on the back several times for "breaking her broodiness", when the truth of the matter is that even keeping her in a wire cage for a week only worked until she was released back into her natural habitat. It has been my experience that you can't really break broodiness, only delay it for a short while.

Best way to "break" a broody is to give her some fertile eggs and let her hatch them. Not really a lot else you can do.

 

[Tikkijane]

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We've got three girls, and my two guys are really dreading the day when we're all cycling together, lol. 'Course by then, my son should be out of the house, leaving my dh as the sole surviving male......

 

[Judy]

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Yup, this has been my experience. Well, with the last one I bought a few day olds, which also worked fine.

Otherwise, I just take them off the nest and chase them outdoors every time I'm in the coop. I hope this way they at least get a little more food and exercise.

 

[goldeneggtees]

i do that too, but now, i will have to take 4 off the nest, i don't have time for this.

 

[BeccaOH]

My way of dealing with broodies of late is just to make use of nature. I took two broodies and stuck chicks hatched in my incubator under them in large rabbit cages in my garage. (Glad I've downsized on rabbits.) Both girls have at least a dozen to babysit. Saves me electricity.

Didn't know Marans were very broody, but I've had 2 go. One finally gave up when I hassled her and stole her eggs daily. The other is now raising a clutch of chicks.

The other two (Ameraucana) have become my incubators in two other crates.

I had 4 cochins all go broody in my cochin pen that only has 4 nest boxes. That was awful. My egg collections have really gone down. One cochin is now a mother while one is still glued to the nest box.

 

[flowerchild59]

i am going to try it with a persistent broody, a dark cornish, who is evil on the nest. My husband won't go near her. He says she makes noises only a small dinosaur would make and it freaks him out.

 

[azygous]

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Hah! Amen to that! Su-su has redefined the lexicon of broody swear-words! I swear Wyandottes, especially the "red-heads", are very psycho when broody! I don't believe I ever would have believed a broody could "yell"!

As for curing broodiness with fertile eggs to hatch, that's not a practical method for many of us who are at capacity in our coops and pens. Over-population is not a happy situation for anyone, especially our chickens who would be stressed by those conditions.

 

[goldeneggtees]

agreed!

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Hah! Amen to that! Su-su has redefined the lexicon of broody swear-words! I swear Wyandottes, especially the "red-heads", are very psycho when broody! I don't believe I ever would have believed a broody could "yell"!

As for curing broodiness with fertile eggs to hatch, that's not a practical method for many of us who are at capacity in our coops and pens. Over-population is not a happy situation for anyone, especially our chickens who would be stressed by those conditions.

 

[Judy]

As for curing broodiness with fertile eggs to hatch, that's not a practical method for many of us who are at capacity in our coops and pens. Over-population is not a happy situation for anyone, especially our chickens who would be stressed by those conditions.

Very true. I have a good sized coop and pen. Some of us eat our extras....

 

[goldeneggtees]

Now there's an idea! If only I could get up the nerve to do just that, I could keep my bird numbers down.