stopped being broody?

[SixChicksNapa]

I have a 7 1/2 month old silver laced cochin, who was broody for 3 weeks to a month. I just returned from a vacation, and she was off

her nest and had another hen was bieng broody instead. This one is a Buff Orpington of the same age. Could the fact that the cochin is

lower in the pecking order mean that she was forced off of her nest when the other one wanted to go broody ? I also remember

hearing that hens can go broody for a while and then take a break. By the way we have no rooster so i am not worried about eggs not

hatching, i am just concerned that the cochin will be unhappy.

 

[KellyHM]

Are you sure the BO is being broody or is she just laying an egg while the Cochin takes a break to eat and drink? If you're not going to let either of them hatch eggs you should try to break them of being broody anyways.

 

[SixChicksNapa]

no im pretty sure that the othe rone is broody because she has been on the nest for at least 24 hours.

The reason i am not trying to break them is i might get some babies for them some time in the future so i want to keep my options open.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

Some will stop being broody on their own after a few weeks. I tried letting three of mine come out of it on their own, when I finally "broke" them and took a hard look at them I was very sad. Letting them be "broody" for so long was very bad for them. Their combs were shrunken and pale. I have determined that until I am ready to give them eggs to hatch or babies to raise, I am going to break them right away for their own health when they grow broody. This was not what I started out planning, but what I now believe is best for them.

 

[SixChicksNapa]

i just went outside to check on the girls and give them a little scratch. while they were distracted, i went to check on my BO she was still on the nest and i noticed that she has plucked out at least thirty of her breast- feathers, i dont know if i should break her so she doesnt continue to hurt herself.

 

[CheerfulHeart2]

They pick out their feathers so the eggs can be next to their skin and be kept very warm.

Here's a thread that might interest you as you weigh your options:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=3048276