Over-broody peahens!

[chicknmania]

Hi

Probably there's no real right answer for this, but I just want to see if this is the norm. Both of our IB hens have been broody for weeks. ..I mean a couple of months. Believe me, the eggs are NOT going to hatch at this point. But they will not give up!!!! I have not taken the eggs away from Sweetpea, because the last time I did, she flew into a panic, and was freaked out for a couple of days before she found she could mother some pullets we had. We have pullets again, and she's eyed them a couple of times, but hasn't tried to mother them, since she still has her eggs. I can't even reach Snap's eggs without a ladder. I've had similar experience in the past with another peahen we had when we took her eggs away; she was so freaked out it made me feel terrible. What should I do? Just take them away, or let them continue to set? I'm sure the eggs are as rotten as can be, which is another concern. But mainly, I'm concerned about the health and welfare of our hens. This is getting ridiculous. Thoughts???

 

[DylansMom]

If it were me I would probably try to break it by taking them at night. I have had one that just would not
give up and it really took a toll on her. She ended up so thin.

 

[chicknmania]

Wouldn't she know, though? They don't ever seem to deeply sleep. They were both off the nest for a while today. Idk, I will probably try to take the eggs away from them this weekend, if they're still broody, and just hope for the best.

 

[DylansMom]

You would think they would know, and most times I think they do. However, now and then the hens just may get too filled with estrogen and just can't control the urges. Like the males who sometimes suffer the testosterone rages.

 

[tflowers]

I recently had a broody chicken and i placed her in a dog crate with access to food and water. She was kept in the crate for 3 days. This routine seemed to snap her out of the broodiness.

 

[chicknmania]

I recently had a broody chicken and i placed her in a dog crate with access to food and water. She was kept in the crate for 3 days. This routine seemed to snap her out of the broodiness.

Well, I do that with broody chickens, too. But we're talking about peahens....a whole different ballgame. Big powerful birds who weigh a lot more than our chicken hens. And who aren't particularly enthralled with people to begin with...

I meant wouldn't the peahen know that we are taking her eggs, even at night? I would think she would.

I feel sorry for them as they keep going over to look at our chicken hen with her four new chicks in a pen....I think the peahens are wishing the chicks were theirs!