.We've a brooding hen who finally wound up sitting on thirty eggs. We finally stopped the whole thing. What to do? We'd like to hatch chicks but the other hens continue to give their eggs to the brooder. Has anyone else had this problem? These are French Marrans hens, French Standar. Barbara
Collect eggs daily. Choose the eggs that you would like her to sit on and mark them. Set them under her all at once. Then, check daily and remove any eggs that have been added. Also, if she's been broody for longer than 3 weeks, do not allow her to continue brooding. While brooding, hens barely eat and drink. They can end up dying if allowed to brood for too long. The best way to break a broody is to put her in a wire crate, elevated off the ground. Provide food and water, but no bedding. After 3 days, she should be back to normal.
