NEED HELP with broody hen problem!!!!!

[swimmerchick]

I have a black copper maran that is currently setting on eggs ( A MARAN!!! I can't believe it) However she has decided to choose a nest box that is in our big pen where I keep all my layers. This would have been fine aside the fact that my layers are all SUPER MEAN to each other and to new comers in the pen, and that includes chicks... I have tried moving her somewhere else, like into a smaller pen. What i did was a set it up with food and water then i took all of her eggs and put them in the nest then i moved her in. She ate her food for awhile then started freaking out!!!! She trampled her eggs and broke one of them :-( So i moved her back into her pen and gave her back her eggs. SHE SAT DOWN RIGHT AWAY!!!!!! Then i tried putting a separator in so the other chickens couldn't get at her, then she freaked out AGAIN!!! I removed the separator then she went outside for like 30 seconds then came right back and sat on her eggs!!!

I really want to get her out of there before i reach the critical stage in incubation!!!! PLEASE HELP ME OUT!!!!!!
Just to be clear she has been setting for about 4 days on 4 or 5 eggs.

 

[Phionex Man]

You have 2 options that i know of:


1. Incubate the eggs (Take them from her and put her in water to make her un- broody)


2. Leave her in there with her eggs and watch to monitor their behavior... If they are mean then all you have to do is Leave it be its nature... Look for more info if the other layers Break her eggs or something like that...

Sorry for your problem

 

[popsicle]

I've never personally had much luck getting broodies to hatch eggs in the community boxes. You can try moving her at night in the dark, when she isn't likely to get up and move around.

I've found Marans to be fairly broody. Henderson's chart list's them as, "great brooder (or annoyingly too frequent brooder) in some strains"

Anyhow, you might get more help by posting this in the "Incubating and Hatching Eggs" forum.

 

[BantamLover55]

Could you separate her off with plexiglass or something that she could see other hens through (a section of chain-link fence?)? Maybe if she could see the other hens, she would sit on her eggs without trampling them!

Good luck and happy hatching!

- BantamLover55

 

[LovemyBabies]

I've tried moving sitting hens and didn't work- so what I did was wait til all babies hatch - then move momma and babies- one chick I had to take out as she wouldn't let it back under cuz she still had eggs - once they hatched did lose 2 as they fell out and the others killed them - but momma and babies got moved- or if there is a way you can move the other birds and leave her there- she'd be fine - new spot sitting is stressful to them even tho it's just them

 

[swimmerchick]

Thank you all. the thing with my layers is they will kill the chicks and they also try to peck Vanessa (the broody hen) and this morning my Colombia rock decided to lay in the same nest box as Vanessa as well... I have tries chain link fence ( its what i used originally) and she STILL freaked out... I believe moving her in the dark may work, but as soon as its light i'm afraid she will freak out. I will give it a try though...

 

[LovemyBabies]

Thank you all. the thing with my layers is they will kill the chicks and they also try to peck Vanessa (the broody hen) and this morning my Colombia rock decided to lay in the same nest box as Vanessa as well... I have tries chain link fence ( its what i used originally) and she STILL freaked out... I believe moving her in the dark may work, but as soon as its light i'm afraid she will freak out. I will give it a try though...

Only other option is moving the layers for the time being if you want her to hatch them- good luck with ur broody girl

 

[swimmerchick]

I could do that aside the fact i have about 20 in there and a very mean barred rock rooster... Thank you for the suggestion though... I could try it because were building a new coop...

 

[donrae]

I'd say move her when it's dark, and prepare to give her new eggs once she's really ready to set. I've had hens I just couldnt' move, and some that settled down after a day or so in the new space and set just fine. I always gave them new eggs once they started setting again, though.

 

[swimmerchick]

YAY!!!! I moved her at night and put one of her sisters in with her and it worked! Its been about a week now so i've moved her sister out but she is setting! I left her with her eggs she was setting before but I also gave her three new ones al well! She is sitting on 2 maran/barred rock mystery rooster or buff/catalana, 3 barred rock/ barred rock mystery rooster or buff/catalana and 1 Brown Amauracana/standard white cochin! I am excited to see what hatches (or doesn't:-() and I am crossing my fingers like please let at least one be a hen!!!!