These broody hens are driving me CRAZY!!! Please help!

[littlelemon]

Well, wouldn't you know it, the year we don't have a rooster, and now I have two broody hens!
They are driving me crazy!
They have been broody for weeks now, and nothing I can do seems to shake it out of them! I shoo them from the nest every time I see them in there, and I have seperated them and moved them to another coop thinking that would break them. However, once I move them back they go right back into the next box, clucking and cooing as if they never left. They don't lay eggs anymore and it is killing me!
They are both Buckeyes that I bought as hatching eggs from a breeder (so this trait would be great if you wanted to breed), and they are only a little over a year old.
What else can I do to break them from this?!? I am annoyed that I may go the rest of this summer without eggs from them. They didn't even start laying until they were a year old (this spring), and if they molt and stop laying for the fall than IMO they are not really worth keeping.
I have NEVER had a hen with such strong broodiness, and now I have two- UGH!
Suggestions anyone?

 

[Robin'sBrood]

Can't help you but I feel your frustration since I have two d'Uccles who are determined to stay broody this summer too.

 

[littlelemon]

Anyone???

I guess I will try seperating them from the flock again. I have a chicken tractor that I put them in, but as soon as I put them back in with my flock that go right back to being broody! Is there any magical number of days that I need to seperate them from their nestbox?

 

[turtlebird]

I had two little ladies that were determined to set, I played the game of taking them off the nest for a bit. I finally removed them to separate, but next to each other, cages (dog crates). I provided minimal bedding (to discourage nest building) and they were in full (natural) light (but cool temps). They stayed in the cages until they started to lay again. I think once the laying cycle starts, the broody hormones have passed.....until they reach the end of this laying cycle....arrrgh!

BTW- it was at least 10 days in the cages until I saw an egg! Stubborn! I guess that is what it takes!

 

[ChickenCat]

Don't those broody girls drive you crazy?

I set up a side pen and put 3 girls in it. 4' x 6' dog pen. with a wire cover. Just on dirt. They stayed in there night and day for 5 days. food and water of course. They sat through one rain storm, without a solid cover. But it did break them of the habit!
I thought everyone was done being broody and took the pen down, now I have 2 more broodies.

I guess the pen will be going back up.

 

[elieugene6]

Me I tried everything with mine. Water, cages, any ideas from this site. She started being broody in march and last month I finally gave in and got her some fertile eggs. Shes now a proud momma of two little chicks. Good luck it seems to be a broody year.

 

[chicksbestfriend]

I have several Buff Orpingtons that like to go broody on me, thats their specialty, they are blondes, what do you expect? I have a large fly coop that I confine them to, with no nesting materials inside and completely away from the rest of the flock. I have vairous levels of roosting sticks in there to keep them busy all day and I go inside the fly pen throughout the day to handle them and talk to them. I also give them a cabbage or lettuce head to peck on throughout the day. Once I observe that they have changed from their broody attitude, usually around 1 week, I return them back into the flock, closing down the nest box completely that they would brood in. I have 9 nesting boxes that I use, but only keep 4 in operation at any given time so when one of the girls go broody, I shut down the line it is in and open a new line of nesting boxes. Before re opening the old box, I complete rid it of any materials that they were in there so there are no trace or memory of the box. Seems to work well. I have noticed that if I dont get into the solution on the first day of broodiness, the behavior starts to spread to the rest of the girls in the flock which can be devestating. Good luck finding what works best for you. Chickens can be a pain in butt sometimes, and it happens without an egg! he he he

 

[crazy chook]

Send them all to me, I want a broody hen or two or three!!

I have silkies and pekins and no one want to go Broody!

 

[rigagirl]

Mine took a month to get over her broodiness. I don't have a rooster anymore so after 2 wks i bought her some chicks, had her in a separate area in coop and at night placed the babies under her. They were fine first time i went out (630 am) 8am she had killed them. She just one day snapped out but it was a long month because she wasn't very nice anymore.

 

[Keara]

put a few chicks under them...... course you wont get eggs til they are done raising the chicks. But it will get them off the nest..... plus... well......

chicks!