Safely stealing eggs from broody???

[nightowl223]

Yeah broody ladys are hard to deal with. I thought she was eggbound! She leaves the nest often but still shows the same behavior. I don't wanna break her due to the fact that this is natrual, And it's a temporary hormone thinge.

It doesn't hurt anything to break their broodiness, so the only time I let them stay broody is when they have actual fertile eggs to sit on.

 

[Krazyquilts]

Put on gloves and long sleeved shirt and go for it.
Calm yourself down, if you're nervous she will feel it and be more nervous herself.
Be calm, confident, and decisive...move semi-slowly and talk softly to her.
The first time will be the worst, but she will gradually get used to you 'handling' her.

I now take eggs all the time from under my birds, I want them to know they 'won't die' if handled, most of them acclimate pretty quickly.

I learned this when a previously 'unhandled' hen went broody, my first that I let hatch.
I touched her almost every day, lifted her up to see the eggs and/or stroked her neck and face, she did NOT like it at first, but I persisted and she accepted...good thing I did too, as one of her chick got it's neck tightly tangled in her breast feathers that probably would have died if I hadn't cut it loose while she calmly sat there.

You can do it!

Put on gloves and long sleeved shirt and go for it.
Calm yourself down, if you're nervous she will feel it and be more nervous herself.
Be calm, confident, and decisive...move semi-slowly and talk softly to her.
The first time will be the worst, but she will gradually get used to you 'handling' her.

I now take eggs all the time from under my birds, I want them to know they 'won't die' if handled, most of them acclimate pretty quickly.

I learned this when a previously 'unhandled' hen went broody, my first that I let hatch.
I touched her almost every day, lifted her up to see the eggs and/or stroked her neck and face, she did NOT like it at first, but I persisted and she accepted...good thing I did too, as one of her chick got it's neck tightly tangled in her breast feathers that probably would have died if I hadn't cut it loose while she calmly sat there.

You can do it!

Great advice about working with broody hens. I do the same thing, especially with my broody ducks who aren't as willing to be handled as the chickens. Every day they are broody, I try to bring them a special treat and stroke them, pet them, like you said. It really works well. I also make sure they get used to me messing around with their eggs, like checking for any fresh eggs and removing them. I'll regularly take one of the eggs they are sitting on, examine it and then give it back so they learn that it's okay, don't panic, you'll get your eggy back. I think it makes them calmer about me fishing around under their bellies for newly hatched chicks to check on.