More chicks

[ducks4you]

D'AWWW!!! Little fuzzy butts are SOOOO CUTE!!

 

[journey11]

Aww...they are very cute and a nice variety you've got there too. Every time I've had a broody, I had no fertile eggs to put under her. That would be fun.

 

[MontyJ]

That is so cool! I can't have a rooster either, so no home hatched chicks for me. That leads me to a question though...What do you do if a hen goes broody, but has no fertilized eggs? Will she eventually get the idea and give up?

 

[Ridgerunner]

Break a Broody Thread
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2176186#p2176186

That used to be one of my jobs as a kid. When we had a broody, Dad would tell me to either give her eggs or break her. We had an elevated rabbit hutch with a wire bottom. The hen had food, water, and nothing else, especially no nest or bedding. Id leave her locked in there for about 4 days. With no nest, shed practically always be broke by then.

We never just let a hen go if she went broody. We either gave her eggs or broke her, so I cant say from experience how long they might go if you do nothing.

Ive never made one set on ice or dunked one in cold water so I dont know how effective that really is. When we gave one eggs Id toss her off the nest every day in the evening to check under her for unmarked eggs. I never broke one from being broody doing that. Im not convinced tossing her off the nest is really an effective method.

If you really want a broody to hatch eggs, you can find fertile eggs for her. Just go to a farmers market and ask around. Or maybe chat with people at the feed store. Or ask on here. Id bet one of us would mail you eggs.

But youre right. You have to have a plan for any roosters that might hatch. Sometimes its hard to be sure of sex before they are old enough to start crowing, but if you get standard chickens with single combs its usually not too hard. Its the ones with the funny feathers or funny combs that are most challenging to me.

 

[MontyJ]

Thanks Ridge, that's really going to come in handy. I never even considered what to do if a hen went broody with no fertilized eggs.

 

[ducks4you]

Ridgerunner, I like that solution with the closed rabbit hutch. I had a broody hen last summer, and she was a good mom. I kept missing the shots where the baby chicks were peeking out of her feathers with just their heads.
Don't see any real reason to break a broody if their are rooster-less or backyard egg makers, unless the hen is pecking you when you want to remove the eggs. MY hen wanted to brood earlier in the year, but I just kept taking her eggs, so she gave up, until later. You might try THAT, too.

 

[journey11]

Broodies can be so annoying if you don't want them to set. I usually isolate mine in a cage in the basement and limit her light exposure. A not so comfy bed and the lack of stimulation from long day-light will usually put an end to her nonsense in about 2 weeks.

ETA: If you do nothing, she will very likely go most of the summer and repeatedly. They are so determined!