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Nice idea but these girls have already hatched chicks, some of them more than once. A few of them were not good mothers at all and their chicks ended up dying because they didn't protect them. At one point I had broodies in 4 cages in the coop, it was getting exhausting because the moms spill the food and water immediately upon putting it in the cage. I ended up bringing all the chicks from that hatch inside and threw them in the brooder under the calmest mom who didn't spill her food/water as much as the others. Luckily I ended up selling the chicks right before the next hatch. I've got a coop almost at (winter) capacity plus 14 four week old chicks in my basement growing out.
We're done hatching and having chicks here for this year! It's hard to sell mixed breeds here (which is what I have) - partially because some are turkens. It's also not the season for chicks here, people are looking for full grown birds - winter's coming you know.
I've also thought about bringing the crazy broody birds inside but I figured the peeping from those chicks in my basement would drive them even more mad. They've got 2 more weeks before they'll be big enough to take on the big girls outside and not escape through the chicken fence.
Maybe I'll try a broody cage in the garage and just rotate a bird through it every other day or so.
Last time the phoenix and banty were broody they finished up, each laid about 5 eggs then went broody again. With my luck by the time the garage swap is over it'll be time to break the phoenix and banty again.
