My favorite chicken is in a brody trance...again!! What to do?

[mamaschicks]

Hi Everyone!!

My favorite chicken starting laying eggs August 20th...she is now in her second round of broodiness. First time was about 2 weeks after she started laying and again 3 days ago. It's really exhausting trying to block the nesting boxes from her while my other hens need to use them. I find myself being on coop patrol most of the day, the situation is not going well. My brody hen is a Light Brahma, which I thought weren't suppose to do this.

What She Does:

puffs her feathers and clucks around
goes in the nesting box
her eyes are in a trance
screeches an awful sound at me when I open the door and pull her out, no eggs under her
her body is limp
I walk around with her until she snaps out of the trance
then she eats and drinks, and clucks around a bit
and then the cycle starts all over again

Noticing the other hens are annoyed with her and are starting to ignore her, I know egg laying is a status symbol among hens.

Any and all advice is welcomed!!

Thanks!!

 

[thebanthams]

Thats what broody hens do, really theres nothing you can do. If you want her to hatch chickies give her eggs, or keep taking eggs from her if you dont want anychickies. . Leave her alone, she will give up when she feels like it ! Best to take eggs from her at night .

 

[silkiechicken]

If you want to break her, crate her up with good air flow under her bottom, make her uncomfortable. Dip her in some water and keep her on her feet. If that doesn't work... let her just ride it out and collect eggs often. She'll give up eventually. Then if you can't beat her or she doesn't stop on her own, just give her a chick two weeks in. She'll do all the work for you.

 

[mamaschicks]

Thanks for all your advise!!

I don't have a rooster so the eggs aren't fertile, should I get a baby chick from the feed store? Will she take care of it in the coop and outside?

I'm a newbie at all this!!!

 

[aoxa]

Thanks for all your advise!!

I don't have a rooster so the eggs aren't fertile, should I get a baby chick from the feed store? Will she take care of it in the coop and outside?

I'm a newbie at all this!!!

If you want her to have chicks, just get her as many as you think she can handle, or as little as two. Feed stores usually don't have chicks this time of year, but someone must around you. I always have chicks.

I find some birds are more prone to accept new chicks than others. If you don't want to break her broody spell, getting her chicks is the best option. They can literally starve themselves to death.

 

[Trishkabob]

hi, I am in another thread on broodiness but found yours too. we live in a cold climate so don't want any new chicks now but even if we did, IF she accepted a day old slipped under her at. night, wouldn't the others (we only have 3, no roo and we don't want one so would have to get a sexed chick or 2 ) want to try to kill the chick?
I have no experience with hatching or breeding or introducing babies to an established group (even of 3 ) and welcome any advice.
...our JG has gone broody with no eggs under her and we have tried to break her by continually getting her out of the nestbox (or roost where she goes in lieu of the nestbox). As someone described it, she is like a feathery hovercraft. With winter coming we want her as healthy as possible so I guess we will try the wire cage approach but if she does this over and over, as I have read some hens do, maybe we should slip a chick under her in the spring? she is just over 2 and never shown this behavior before. She is middle bird in the pecking order and maybe just REALLY wants to be a mother? Or is it just a stray instinct ?

 

[LeJeune1]

Trishkabob, I will give in and let a hen set if she persists. So many have had broodiness bred out and without incubators the breed wouldnt exist. . . My wife thinks Im crazy, but I say it takes 1 to know 1.. . . Im get to decide who is or is not, as I am a Psychologist.. . . . ) . . .