Stopping two broody hens from sitting

[Britcheflee]

We have two hens (both Australorps I belive) who are broody and sitting in their nest boxes. We dont want them to hatch any eggs at this time as we are not set up for more chicks.

I am sure there have been posts about this before so aplologie for going over old ground but we need to break them from being broody. I told the kids to remove them from the nest boxes, remove the eggs and put them outside for a bit so they cant get to the nest box.

Hopefully this was the right thing to do?


Appreciate any advice

Lee

 

[TheBuff]

That's about the best thing to do.

 

[DANNY]

I just put mine in a different pen for a few days.

 

[ChooksChick]

So when is broody unbreakable?? My BR has plucked her chest clean and is NOT leaving the nest, thank you, so I'm wondering if there's any hope of breaking her of this. I haven't any fertilized eggs, and have all the chicks I need for a while! i may have to find eggs, I fear, because it seems like I'm not going to change her mind...

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Some hens can be broken of their broody mood by just taking them off the nest repeatedly, maybe even carrying them to a distant part of the yard when you do.

Others need some time in a Broody Buster cage, a wire bottomed cage like a rabbit or parrot cage, set up high on sawhorses or blocks, so a breeze can blow up underneath them. Provide food & water but NO bedding, leave them in for 3-4 days at least, until they begin to lay or show no more interest in returning to the nest.

 

[Up-the-Creek]

I have a Phoenix hen that just went broody. I done everything I could think of to get her to give up on it, because I too, am overrun with baby chicks. She clucked and stayed frizzled up for days. I finally gave in. She has 4 eggs under her. I found a home for the babies before I put any eggs under her so I wouldn't be stuck with them. I never thought in a million years my little phoenix hen would go broody on me, but isn't she cute???

 

[2dancingrats]

I was successful stopping one broody by removing her from the nest. She had hatched 6 chicks but wasn't giving it up. No sooner than I got her to stop another started. This one kept moving from nest to nest thereby ruining eggs all over the place. She finally settled in one, so I let her go. Then another started brooding. This one was also a nest hopper. Strangely, though she settled on the first one's nest and the first one started over in another nest. Now the original broody has gone back to it a short two weeks after I got her to stop. I think all of the sitting and the lack of dust bathing has caused the flea population to explode in there. Now I need to de-flea all of the hens and the hen-house. None of that will be effective unless I can get these girls to call it good for the season. I would be happy to see them start up again, maybe next spring, but for now I need it to be over. Do you suppose locking them out to de-flea the place might get them to stop?

 

[puttycat]

I am trying to stop my hens from brooding.......7 hens and 5 guineas....what can I do?!!!!HELP
They have taken over......already have got 15 babies n a cage.......

 

[Egghead_Jr]

So when is broody unbreakable?? My BR has plucked her chest clean and is NOT leaving the nest, thank you, so I'm wondering if there's any hope of breaking her of this. I haven't any fertilized eggs, and have all the chicks I need for a while! i may have to find eggs, I fear, because it seems like I'm not going to change her mind...

I had an unbreakable bird. Put her in a dog cage for three days in kennel and she acted broken of brood. Few days later back at it. Busted again...and again....finally gave in and let her sit on 5 eggs. She was just determined and at that rate she was going to make herself ill brooding so long. Was off an on brooding over a 4 week period before I gave in. Wasn't like she was laying any eggs for me so let her go the term to finally break her. All told was 7 weeks she was brooding. Die hard.