Does Broodiness Ever End!

First, I wanted broody hens.   Then, we got broody hens.     Then, said broody hens weren't all too thrilled about mothering chicks, so ended up with a few outside and a few inside.      Now, more hens are trying to be broody.    I have had to break one so far, with two more now deciding a September chick would be a great idea.   They must forget how cold fall is in Alberta.   However, as annoying as this is at the moment, I can't help but be thankful that come next spring, I shouldn't have a problem having move broody hens, though it will probably not be when I want them to be.  Their timing is not always the greatest!   By the way, all of them are chanteclers, both white and partridge.

Haha! I have 3 broodies right now  

I've been trying to break a late bloomer broody for weeks now! And I'm having no luck. Lily is as stubborn as she is determined, and no amount of cold water dunking is gonna cool her jets.  lol Sigh...I'd give her some eggs, but have no where safe to keep them separate.

I can empathize with the broody thing. It does help me with my control issues though. I fret and worry and try to manage it all. Then at some point I just throw 4 or 5 eggs under her and walk away. She is only going to get broody a couple of months later anyway. The biggest problem I have is having enough room to separate them. I have never had problems with the ones that have been separated. If they were wild they would instinctively find a hidden spot away from the other birds. We ask them to do what is not natural to them and then condemn them when it fails. Right now I have three with chicks and four sitting on eggs. It feels a little crazy. I am trying to shuffle older chicks and moms into the main coop to make room for new babies hatching on Friday. I am in the main coop where the four are sitting at least ten times a day to make sure the eggs are covered and other birds have not kicked them off their nests. I have major 'barn envy'. All of our neighbours have barns and none of them have animals. If I had a barn I could just put a broody in a crate but here I need to protect them from predators so we make do. I have one whos eggs didn't hatch because I didn't get her moved. Lucky for me Turkey Lover has just hatched some so I will give her some adoptees. I had no idea what I was getting into when I got my first 6 chickens. It gets better every year because we build something new every year. Now I need a place to grow out roosters. So I have the same question "does it ever end"? ps I have had quite a few hatch in the dead of winter. It is not as cold here but the mamas are great at looking after them. I couldn't believe it the first time I saw a two day old chick wandering around in the ice and snow.

vic's chicks.......Doesn't that drive you nuts when you see all these unused barns.! I know it makes me crazy. When we

were in Armstrong a friend of ours bought a new (to them) place. It had a massive barn, completely set up for fancy breeds of

chickens. Even beautiful pens in the huge loft. It was the most gorgeous barn set up for chickens I have ever seen.

Who ever did it must have spent a fortune and been a real perfectionist. It was awesome.

She raised dogs, would you believe they ripped all of the cages out, for dog kennels. I could have cried. Made me sick.

Then they moved about 3 years later. Meanwhile the cages were all gone.

Is there anyway you could build a barn, instead of running around to separate pens all the time? Sure would make your life

easier.

I hear you on the broody hens, but they sure are great momma's. Anyway you could buy a building in your area, that could

be easily moved?

With some silkies and cochins, broodiness seems to be the normal condition. You hope to periodically declare, "My chicken has gone un-broody!"

Fowler wrote:With some silkies and cochins, broodiness seems to be the normal condition.  You hope to periodically declare, "My chicken has gone un-broody!"

I'm with Fowler on this one!!  Silkies here too, and my BCM's are about as bad. One hopes to occasionally declare "My chicken has gone un-broody!" LOL To add insult to injury (hehe) I have had an Isa Brown go broody too. Go figure!!

My Jersey Giants , my Cuckoo Marans , and every other breed went broody , some still insist on sitting on nothing ? but I took all the eggs away and won't allow them more then the day of lay to sit on any eggs ! My Muscovy  and one lone turkey hen did lay eggs ,Muscovy didn't have a mate ? and the turkey quit laying and they still sit ?? One hen I have to put out every day so that it eats and drinks ? but it insists on sitting on nothing ??? Never want broody hens again , they hatch , fight over chick and in the end the chick dies so NOPE NOT FOR ME ! I feel for anyone who has them

i love my broodies

We have an outside area that is tight and covered. If they are bugging me and broody then i throw them outside with food and water and a dirt floor. No comfort of the coop for them!..a few days and they are broke. In the winter...we are not so lucky...but we have a plan this year...
These buff orpingtons though..they are mostly broody...i think they have a few weeks of laying and being normal and then they are shut ins....
I lost a hen while broody due to lice and mites though...it was an eye opener for us newby chicken lovers