What is going on in my nesting box?

[hjay1012]

About 6 weeks ago I brought home a 6 month old bantam cochin hen (Luna) to replace a bantam silkie who died unexpectedly, I added her to two easter eggers (Sheba and Cleveland) and another bantam silkie (Betty) who was nesting at the time all 18 months old. After about a week the other ladies stopped hassling her and she was laying after 3 days and every other day for a month after that. ( my easter eggers stopped laying the day we brought her home) Now for the last two weeks Betty and Luna have been laying in the nesting box only coming out to eat and drink and the new girl is not laying anymore. It seems some times that Betty is laying on Luna, and I think maybe she thinks Luna is her chick? The question is, do I wait this out, or does anyone know what I should try to get them out of the box?

 

[sourland]

'Betty' and ''Luna' are both from broody breeds - they have strong instinct to set and become mothers. It sounds as if both have gone broody. You can either wait it out or pen them away from the nests to break their broodiness. Of course you could always buy some fertile eggs and allow them to become mothers.

 

[hjay1012]

I don't think motherhood is in the cards for these two I wouldn't have thought Luna would get broody after only a month of laying, and Betty has been broody for about two months now so I thought maybe something else was going on! I appreciate the answer, I'm still learning...

 

[ChirpyChicks1]

You can search on here "how to break a broody" and find some useful information. Good luck!