Impossible to break broody. What is wrong with her?

[Florida Bullfrog]

Have you tried submerging them and washing them in cool water? That’s an old fashioned trick gamefowl breeders used to use to break a hen that goes set.

 

[chicktimon]

Warning! Old-fashion farmer here. This post may contain information and statements that are sensitive and may offend some. If you object or are offended by old-fashioned ideas and mentalities, please keep scrolling.

I moved to a new homestead in 2023 and bought some laying hens from a local person I found on Facebook. They sold me three black hens that they identified as "Black Stars". One of the hens went broody shortly after I bought them and refused to break. Having raised chickens for over forty years, I just left her alone, thinking that she would break naturally after a while, but she never did. After a couple of months, I decided to remove her nesting area, but she just found a new place. Finally, I penned her up with no place to nest. She literally starved herself to death with food and water right in front of her. I had never seen such behavior in all my life, so this was a completely unexpected result.

This year the other two black hens I got from that person went broody in April. It is August, and they are still broody. I have penned them up in an Air Cage to break them four times for up to a week each time, and they go back to being broody within a few days of letting them out. I have Roll-A-Way nests (eggs go into a hidden compartment) so there have never been any eggs for them to see or try to hatch. I also have no roosters, so there is no possibility of hatching chicks, and I absolutely do not want any chicks as I have almost 40 birds already. This is why I don't have any roosters. Additionally, the Roll-A-Way nests are Vented nests themselves with no bottom and just a perforated plastic medium for hens to lay on. These hens are literally being broody in the AIR! They are staying broody in what could effectively be a Broody Breaker cage.

I have given up trying to break them. I am at the point of making soup out of them. I have zero use for such defective animals. I have raised chickens for over forty years and have never seen such behavior. My post is not to ask for ideas on how to break them. So please, no "The poor things just want to be mommies, give them some eggs" comments.

What I am trying to figure out is, what is wrong with them? I never want such defective animals again, so I want to understand why they are this way. Is there someone out there who is trying to break nature by intentionally breeding chickens toward this kind of insane broody behavior? Is this a breed problem? The way these hens are behaving is completely unnatural for chickens. What might be the cause?

Man, that's a tough situation with those broody hens. It's wild how they just won't break, even with all your experience. It could be a breed thing or maybe some odd selective breeding practices. Either way, it's definitely not the norm. Hopefully, someone out there has some insights for you. Good luck!

 

[Bigbluefrog]

Have you tried submerging them and washing them in cool water? That’s an old fashioned trick gamefowl breeders used to use to break a hen that goes set.

Does this work? Completely submerged them? I have a broody I am trying to break. It's a barred rock. She went broody in Spring and hatched 2 chicks. Now it's September and she is broody been 2 weeks. I tried getting her belly wet.
OP did you try this cooling method?
I hope my hen doesn't die... but understand old farmer concept - animals are food
And we all love a good steak or chicken

 

[Florida Bullfrog]

Does this work? Completely submerged them? I have a broody I am trying to break. It's a barred rock. She went broody in Spring and hatched 2 chicks. Now it's September and she is broody been 2 weeks. I tried getting her belly wet.
OP did you try this cooling method?
I hope my hen doesn't die... but understand old farmer concept - animals are food
And we all love a good steak or chicken

It works per the old generation of gamefowl breeders. I am going to try it on the next broody I don’t want to set. This spring and summer I let them all set at will.

 

[FrostRanger]

Yikes, I'd never buy birds from there again. I also agree that his line is bad and tends towards extreme broodiness. Idk, maybe that was a trait they were going for and while that trait is useful for them, it's counterproductive for you. Hopefully your next batch will be better