# I have given up.



## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Breaking a broody hen not an easy task. She is beyond stubborn and is messing up the harmony of the entire coop. I have tried for 9 days to break her. Even taking her out of the coop for days at a time and keeping her from having anything to nest with. She found an egg outside and sat on it on the ground. Ugh. 

We have given her a nest with a few eggs in the coop. At this point she's going to kill herself trying to do this. If she manages to hatch babies I don't imagine them living. Snow is already starting to fly here in Massachusetts. But I'm lost as to what else we can do. If she is already proving herself to be broody I want to utilize that this coming spring/summer. Just not right now.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

The over the top broodies can certainly be a challenge. Chances are if she was not given the opportunity to complete this cycle she would have gone right back to being broody within two weeks of stopping her.

Do you have electricity to your coop or a way to run a power cord out to it? When I had girls who were going to hatch in the middle of Winter I hung a bell lamp with a 65/75 watt light in it about 8 inches off of the floor. That gave peeps a warming station while Mom did her thing. I never lost any to the cold that way.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

I'm just afraid of running electricity to the coop because of the fire hazard.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

There really isn't more chance of fire hazard in the coop than in your home. Just look at the barns that have been standing for generations with electricity in them. If power is run correctly there is no threat. 

You can run a power cord. One of my coops never had power since I had planned on replacing it. When the need for power arose I ran a cord out to it. The only time it was a pain was when I needed to mow which meant moving the cord.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

We have a cord in there. Anchored from when they where young and still needed supplemented heat. Do I need to make a pen to keep babies away from the older chickens and roo? I wasn't planning on doing this till springtime so I'm very unprepared. I'm going to go get starter crumbles to give mama hen anyhow as she is going to need it to grow those feathers back.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It really depends on the breed and flock dynamics. I never removed a new Momma from her pen mates, never had to remove the chicks after they hatched. What I did run in to with one girl is that she would attack every other bird in the pen except the male once her chicks hatched. Then I would have to make a move.


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## GratefulGirl (Sep 10, 2012)

I have not experienced this yet. I sure do appreciate y'all sharing to help those of us who need educating!


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

I have a theory, which I have not been able to test (none of my pullets have gone broody), so here it is. If you try it and it works, let me know, if you try it and it doesn't, let me know, and if you don't want to try it, that's OK too. So here is my idea with the logic behind it:
Since commercial egg farms use lights in the winter to keep the chooks laying, then take her out of the light into a dimly light environment with long night darkness for a day or two. See if the lack of light might help take her out of being broody. I am now all in favor of using wooden eggs to trick a gal, so if you get some of those for her, she can sit on them until she gives up.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Here is the issue with going broody, especially for a young bird, its hormone driven. Lower light does not seem to affect this event in the young girls, my birds that were less than a year old went broody in the dead of Winter with no extra lights. And if you successfully break them, chances are they will go broody again right away. There is a cycle to complete, incubation, hatching and raising are all part of that cycle.


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## 7chicks (Jun 29, 2012)

robin416 said:


> Here is the issue with going broody, especially for a young bird, its hormone driven. Lower light does not seem to affect this event in the young girls, my birds that were less than a year old went broody in the dead of Winter with no extra lights. And if you successfully break them, chances are they will go broody again right away. There is a cycle to complete, incubation, hatching and raising are all part of that cycle.


Oh how true! My Ameraucana went broody at 9 months old in the middle of winter last year and she was miserable as was I. Tried to pull her out of it but it didn't work. She'd go right back at it. I have no roo and just kept pulling the eggs out of the nests every chance I had and minimum of twice a day. Stubborn little buggers when they're broody.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Yeah, the light is rapidly fading here. I am letting her sit. She has 6 eggs she has taken as her own and we've moved her to her own spot out of the laying nests. If she manages to hatch out anything I will be amazed. We have a roo. I opened 8 eggs yesterday and every single one if them was fertile. I just don't think they will stay warm enough when she gets off them to eat, poop and drink daily. Today was day 2. So we should know by the end of the month if she proves me wrong!


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

They'll be fine for her to do whatever she needs to do. Eggs do not automatically get too cold, it takes time for them to get past the point of no return. They are in a deep nest and the nesting material is holding heat. You can put a piece of either hard foam insulation or something called Reflectix under the nest if they are on a wood floor to help reflect the cold from the floor. Chances are she instinctively knows that taking a tour around the property is not a good idea and will return as soon as she's done her thing.

Believe me, I've successfully raised hundreds of chicks in the middle of Winter. It can be done. Its a little more work than if she had chosen to do this in the heat of Summer but with a heat source they should be fine.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

My husband loaded the nest up with hay and wood chips. Once they hatch we will put a light in there as well. Do we only plug it in during the day when we open the coop? She will sit on the nest with them at night correct? I don't want to disrupt everyone's laying. They are young and even though it's cold and light is fading still laying almost daily.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yep, its only needed during the day time. And probably not for the first two or three days after they hatch. If you hear chicks crying then its time for the warm up station because Mom is busy. She will take her peeps to bed before the others turn in for the night for the first two or three weeks so the light can go off before dark without it being a disturbance to the others.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

The plus side of all this is if she does hatch out some girls, I will have fresh layers in late April early May!  I'm actually getting pretty interested now! Haha


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I always thought that having a new chick hatch would one day just be another one of those things that happened. Like doing the dishes or the laundry or feeding the dogs. Its been years and lots of hatched chicks and every single one is as special as that first one from so long ago.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Do you think it would be a bad idea to try to candle an egg or two to see if there is any progression? Or should I just let it be and wait till the end of the month?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Sure. When a girl is locked in all you have to do is protect your hands from the peck that is sure to come. I didn't look back at the date but if its been seven days you should see a ton of veining going on.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

I looked at 3 eggs but couldn't see anything. I'm not sure if my light was strong enough though.. They were all darkish brown eggs :-/ I hope she's not sitting on a nest full of duds


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Well Saturday will be roughly 21 days. Here's hoping I have at least one baby chick for her by the end of this week. What happens if she's sitting on a nest full of duds?


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

it's NOT too cold to hatch out chicks
last year we has a week of -10f weather
at the end of that week our crazy silkie hatched out 7 chicks
they all lived!!!
i like to have a nest in a big dog crate so my broody can hatch her chicks without the others in the flock stepping on the babies. but with it being so near to them hatching out i would say don't move the eggs
wait till they hatch , then move the chicks & any unhatched eggs
not all of the eggs will hatch out the same day because they were not all layed on the same day.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Yeah piglett if I remember correctly you live near me in NewEngland right?


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

GenFoe said:


> Yeah piglett if I remember correctly you live near me in NewEngland right?


correct i'm in new hampshire


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Great. My silkie is broody now. Ugh.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

GenFoe said:


> Great. My silkie is broody now. Ugh.


nice she wants to hatch out a few christmas gifts for you
tell her to get to it, she will keep them warm so no worries


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

GenFoe said:


> Great. My silkie is broody now. Ugh.


So is my Chicklett. I thought I was going to get away with her not going broody this Winter. But the Silkie in her let me down.


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## chickett (Sep 29, 2013)

Goodluck! I hope they hatch out alright. Although I live in NewEngland and couldn't imagine takin care of the new chicks!


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

I guess she isn't actually broody... More of a nest thief. She hops on the nest as soon as my broody gets off the nest to eat, Roxanne the silkie is on those eggs. But if I take her off of them she doesn't care and goes on her way.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I knew Chicklett was moving in to the need to hatch because she became a witch just before. She's generally a bully to start with but when those hormones start raging there's no living with her.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Today is 21 days! I'm going out to check the nest in a bit. I hope there is something. No one has answered me on what I do if she's on a nest of duds yet... I'm going to give her till next Saturday though because of the temps outside.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

They usually figure it out on their own. You should have seen her wiggling around more, doing some quiet talking the last few days. But there's always that one. The one who is not going to give up no matter what and even after removing the eggs will go in search of more.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

GenFoe said:


> Today is 21 days! I'm going out to check the nest in a bit. I hope there is something. No one has answered me on what I do if she's on a nest of duds yet... I'm going to give her till next Saturday though because of the temps outside.


with the cool temps they will probably take extra time to hatch......or maybe not
i think you will find out soon enough


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## kjohnstone (Mar 30, 2013)

One of my amber-whites went broody a couple of weeks ago...Splash. (with the red splashes on her wing-shoulders, she looks just exactly like the amber-white hens in the pictures in the breed section here) She did get bitchy first, started chasing the cats (very uncomfortable when both the cats and the chickens like to follow me around the yard and see what I am up to). Of course her eggs are duds, and I have taken those when opportunity presents, leaving the wooden eggs. Just a couple of days ago, while she was out of the nest bucket, others decided it was time to reclaim it for lay, so when she came back, she only had the other nest box to get into. The next day she took her opportunity to get back into HER nest box. She quietly clucks and coos to herself (or the eggs?) constantly when I am out there. I still have no coop, but all the girls are doing fine, only had snow on the ground for a couple of days. They don't like snow!


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

I just went outside now and fed her... She will get off the nest to go eat. Then I listened. I couldn't hear anything at all coming from the nest. They are due to hatch. Shouldn't I be able to hear something coming from the eggs?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

Yes, you should be. She should be acting different too. All I can suggest is make certain your batteries are strong in your flashlight and go out in the dark and candle. Anything that looks liquid very carefully dispose of. Any that look like they are fully dark then put them back.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

So I went out there and looked. All but one egg was dark inside. I can't see what is actually in there but the air sac is very large.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

It shouldn't be very large. How much of the egg do you think its taking up? I'm wondering if they all died which just doesn't happen. 

Give her another couple of days. With some additional experience you'll know when to call it quits. But just talking here on the forum its just not safe to say take them.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Like 1/4 of the egg was air sac.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

I just googled candled egg at 21 days and that's actually kind of what I was looking at. I've just never done this before and I'm doing it with a cheapy flashlight on kind of dark eggs. So I'm not getting a nice clear image of what I'm looking at. I'm going to give it till next weekend then just take the nest.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

That should be safe waiting for that long. I'm hoping this works out and she does get at least one to hatch.


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

give her another week


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Yeah I'm hoping for just one baby!!


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

The only hen I see my roo regularly mating with is the silkie and there are two of her eggs in there. But one she laid after the initial six. The numbers have worn off so I'm not sure which is which anymore. There's 3 extra eggs that weren't there in the beginning. Silly chickens.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

Still no baby chickens. 

She's still crazy broody. I wonder if I should try to find a baby chick somewhere and sneak it under her during the night.


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

If you can. But you said there were a couple of new eggs under her now? Those might be viable. 

Chicklett did not come off the nest this morning for treats. Way too soon for her peeps to hatch so I don't know what's up with that.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

I don't know which ones those are though. Should I just leave her until she either gives up or the eggs start to rot?


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## robin416 (Sep 8, 2013)

I really don't know. If there is any chance of telling which is new and which isn't, I'd say take the others and leave those two. But for her health its probably best to take them all.


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## GenFoe (Apr 3, 2013)

She's off the nest and sitting back in the nesting boxes. Ughhhh this hen is making me bonkers!!


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## piglett (Jun 21, 2012)

GenFoe said:


> She's off the nest and sitting back in the nesting boxes. Ughhhh this hen is making me bonkers!!


can you candle the eggs ?
i would wait till night time & then go to the coop & snatch the eggs


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