Stubborn broody.

[Amber.charlie]

Hi!!
We have a really stubborn broody hen. We can not let her sit as we are moving house next week so they were due to hatch at the wrong time.
We are getting her up and taking any eggs from our coop daily, but the problem is that she’s sitting in the nest even when there’s no eggs to sit on.
I’m getting a little worried now as it’s been 2 weeks and she’s not backing down.
And she doesn’t look well, her combs flopped over to one side and has changed from a lovely red colour to a more pinky pale colour ( don’t know if that is related or not)
What can I do? Thanks.

 

[JaeG]

That's all perfectly normal for a broody. I have girls that will sit for 6 weeks on nothing, then their hormones change again and they get over it, do a little molt, their comb will fatten and redden up again and they'll start laying again. I have one girl who will lay 10 eggs then go broody, over and over again. But it's paying off because she's laying during winter (I'm in the southern hemisphere) and because it's cold she's not going broody.

Some people break their broodies by putting them in an elevated wire cage with no nesting material and after a few days they should snap out of it. Just be aware it's only a matter of time before they'll go broody again and you'll have to repeat the procedure. But the stress of moving house will very likely bring her out of being broody so I'd just leave her to it.

Goodluck with the move - hope everything goes smoothly.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I have one coming up on 2 solid months. I carry her out, stick her in front of food and water, ten mins later... right back to her nest.

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

Try putting frozen water bottles or frozen bags of veggies in the nesting box with her. When I had to break a broody I put her in our empty rabbit hutch with the bottle tray out so the air was always moving

 

[Amber.charlie]

Thank you very much!
If she’s still sitting once we’ve moved I will leave her to it.
Just glad I’m not doing anything wrong. (She is our first broody) so not really sure what we are doing

 

[Amber.charlie]

Try putting frozen water bottles or frozen bags of veggies in the nesting box with her. When I had to break a broody I put her in our empty rabbit hutch with the bottle tray out so the air was always moving

I did move her... to a smaller spare coop we have, But she would not sit on the eggs in that coop... she just got really distressed.

 

[JaeG]

I did move her... to a smaller spare coop we have, But she would not sit on the eggs in that coop... she just got really distressed.

I've found it's best to move them somewhere they cannot see their old home as they will try and get back there. Moving them after dark works well too so that they spend all night on their new nest and wake up thinking that's where they've always been. But sometimes even those strategies don't work - it depends on the hen.

 

[Amber.charlie]

I've found it's best to move them somewhere they cannot see their old home as they will try and get back there. Moving them after dark works well too so that they spend all night on their new nest and wake up thinking that's where they've always been. But sometimes even those strategies don't work - it depends on the hen.

Aww ok. That does make sense. I’ll attempt that.
Thanks

 

[as110]

Give her a few day old chickens if you can get them? That’s how I got mine off the eggs. She was sitting for months.