Help! Light sussex gone broody right before holiday!

[jersey bean]

We are going on holiday tomorrow and my parents are house/dog/chicken sitting. One of our light sussex has turned broody and whilst I keep chucking her out of the coop, its not making a difference. She's not even sitting on any eggs unless the other light sussex lays one and she commandeers it. We have no cockerel so no plans for chicks and our other brown girls are retired (and never went broody so this is new to me after 3 years hen keeping).

I don't want to bring in our mini-coop/run into the garden to force her to stay outside and 'cool off' as, to compound matters, we are selling our house and will have viewings next week (have seen a great house with a 2 acre field, not at all common over here, so need a quick sale). If needed my mum and dad can just about handle my brown girls, who are very placid and when you top up their feeder/drinker they always hop up near you for a pat but my light sussex are quite feisty.

Do I just let her get on with it for now, or will it be much harder to break this when we come back in a weeks time? I'm a bit lost as to what I can do.

Any suggestions gratefully received!

[RichmondHens]

DOn't worry about it. Just leave her be. If your parents are worried that they will get pecked when collecting eggs tell them to wear gloves. You can deal with her when you return. Go and enjoy your holiday.

[Nicos]

Te he....perfect timing eh????

...and if they're still worried about collecting them from under her ( wearing gloves)- then let her sit on them and sacrifice the eggs.
Bit of a waste I know- but not really worth worrying/stressing about for either you or your parents!

Have a lovely hols!

[chris]

Know how you feel we're going on holiday soon and my LS is still broody. Even if you turf her out, she'll squat where she is and just stay there. Eventually you'll find her in some tiny space.

I've decided to let her sit on two eggs i've marked with 'do not eat' - if she's still broody by the time we're back I'll look at trying to deter the behaviour again. They'll be moving into a new coop next week, in a different part of the garden from where they have been for a while, different nestbox etc so that may shock her, we'll see.

[Glutton4...]

I'd say leave her be. But give her some Golf balls to keep her occupied! That way she won't nick other eggs, and your folks will be safer!

[jersey bean]

Thanks everyone, what a relief! We found a new golf ball in the garden the other day (?) and I have an old ceramic egg that used to be my pops decades ago, so that will do it. She does actually give very gentle pecks

Have a wonderful weekend, hope you get a good dose of sunshine wherever you may be.

[RichmondHens]

I'd say leave her be. But give her some Golf balls to keep her occupied! That way she won't nick other eggs, and your folks will be safer!

My bantams nick all the eggs even if they are sitting on some dummies. They just cram as many as they can underneath them. I once found a nest in a hedge with 21 eggs in - the hen was still trying to incubate them all despite the fact she was perched on top with no way of covering all the eggs - a bit like an egg mountain! Needless to say, nothing at all hatched.

[Glutton4...]

My bantams nick all the eggs even if they are sitting on some dummies. They just cram as many as they can underneath them. I once found a nest in a hedge with 21 eggs in - the hen was still trying to incubate them all despite the fact she was perched on top with no way of covering all the eggs - a bit like an egg mountain! Needless to say, nothing at all hatched.

Sorry RH, but that is soooo funny - I now have a mental picture of a Hen sat on an Egg mountain! LOL

[Flummery]

Happened to us last year! When we got home we chucked her off and closed the coop once everyone had laid. It took a fortnight to get her back to normal and not snarling and beaking the others all the time, but she got back on lay and all was sweetness and light again.