Sooo frustrated with chicks and broodies!

[@migocontodos~]

I feel your pain. I do not have to call "chick chick chick" anymore. They are EVERYWHERE!
I finally said to hell with it and started putting 2 or 3 hens to the coop. So far it's worked out well. They are big enough for each one to have it's own corner and move in and out from the water and feed. I'll give them a couple weeks to get the chicks all roosting and then they are ALL going in one coop/run!


And Joe...what you said is looking better ALL THE TIME!

 

[dacjohns]

Do you really want that many broody hens and all the chicks they might produce?

I had two broody hens and decided that was enough. I have about 5 banty hens that want to be broody but I decided I would outlast them. I take them off the nest throughout the day and put them outside. Most of the time there are no eggs under them. When there are eggs I collect them, that is what I have the hens for, eggs. Then when the hens quit laying, another source of protein for my family.

 

[chickenannie]

Well, I think this is how you learn... get through the frustrations, figure out how to do it better/more efficiently next time. I DO want the chicks because some of them are for Thanksgiving turkeys and some are to replace my older hens. One hen house has 4 nest boxes, the other has 10, but they seem to prefer the lower row, so that's where all the broodies go. The 2nd tiers (each has 2 rows on top of each other) sit empty.

I also collect eggs every day, but if 8 eggs get laid in one nest in one day, whoa, that's enough to set off broody instincts. I tried moving the broodies, but gave up after a few days. Like I said, some are setting on golf balls and fake eggs. But when I take those away they just run to the next nest which has the day's eggs in it. There WAS a time in early spring when I was wishing for broodies!!

I am giving some older hens (2.5 years) to an urban gardening program and a few to a family member so hopefully that will help. I think the worrying-about-keeping-the-chicks-alive part adds to the stress, especially when new moms are rejecting chicks, so my new mantra is, just do what I can and stop worrying!
Thanks for all the suggestions and support. I am feeling less frustrated now than I was when I wrote the initial thread, thankfully.