Two Broody Hens

[ChickonLand]

I have two broody hens. One Barred Rock and one Partridge Rock. In May the BR went broody and I gave her five chicks to hatch which are growing up fine. After two weeks she kinda ditched them... that bad momma... and is now broody again. She must have encouraged the other hen to go broody because they are both now so determined and it's been about a week. How do I break two broody hens at once? Won't they egg (pun intended) each other on?

I've tried taking them off their nests to be with the rest of the flock (they are fully free range with a hutch to nest and sleep in at night), that didn't work. I dunked them in the swimming pool to baptize them of broodiness: that didn't work. I put them both in a dog crate for the day with food and a roosting bar: that didn't work, as soon as they went back in the hutch at night they saw the fake eggs and the nests and would not stop laying on them. Help! It's summer and they really should be out enjoying the sun and working a tan, not cooped up laying on fake eggs! Oh my silly hens!

 

[Pork Pie]

The crate system does work - it's a question of duration. If they return to sitting after having been released from the crate, simply return them to the crate for another couple of days. Repeat as necessary. It's a pain, I know but them's chickens for ya

 

[aart]

My first experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.
Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.

This one took 4 days, but I didn't get her in there as quickly.