5 broody hens and a new Momma!!

[PoppasGrill]

We’ve posted a while back about our bantam going broody, she’s dedicated to brooding but wasn’t staying on the same eggs ( she was swapping nest boxes). Went out and found another hen pecking the older eggs and had killed the half formed chicks.
Our plan was to move Crowella to a store coop , so she was alone with no other hens able to lay around her, but now we have 4 other hens in the store coops that have gone broody.
I know, it’s natural for them to try to hatch a clutch, but they are like a house full of girls that got their cycle in time with each other. So, kinda scary to walk in the coop.
On a brighter side, our Cemani hatched 4, though one didn’t make it past day 2.
We have 3 store coops that we use for isolation , either sick or bullied hen ,or chicks on look but don’t touch stage of integration.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I've got at least half a dozen bantam going broody at anyone time. I just keep breaking them. Soon as those are broke a new batch goes out to the breaking pen. It is never ending with all the clucking and screeching.

It is always best to set hens up in a separate area so other hens don't add to or break their clutch. I've had other hens kill chicks so I always make sure that are separated for everyone's well being.

 

[PoppasGrill]

I've got at least half a dozen bantam going broody at anyone time. I just keep breaking them. Soon as those are broke a new batch goes out to the breaking pen. It is never ending with all the clucking and screeching.

It is always best to set hens up in a separate area so other hens don't add to or break their clutch. I've had other hens kill chicks so I always make sure that are separated for everyone's well being.

We have two hens in a store coop in the barn that went broody, so we closed the gate to separate them from the others. Now they are wallowing in filth of broken eggs and poop as they will not leave the nest and get almost violent along with the screeching if we try to look under.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

We have two hens in a store coop in the barn that went broody, so we closed the gate to separate them from the others. Now they are wallowing in filth of broken eggs and poop as they will not leave the nest and get almost violent along with the screeching if we try to look under.

You probably need to break them. I have good luck penning them away from their chosen site for 3-5 days. Otherwise for stubborn hens a wire bottom crate is best.

 

[SueT]

I have 2 broody jails (wire bottom cages) in my basement. It takes about 3 days + nights (sometimes just 2) to break our hens of broodiness. I don't let them stay broody, they will go to jail on day one. In the summers, we almost always have 1 or 2 hens in jail. One comes out, another goes in. I have let one hen a year hatch eggs in a separated area, but I think this year, we won't do that.