broody hens for 5 weeks............. help

[minskey]

What am I going to do with two hens which have gone broody. This has been going on for nearly five weeks now. They are skin and bone as they have lost loads of weight.

One is an ex batt and the other a cream crested legbar. I have had broody hens before, they gave up after a week or so. I don't want to hatch any eggs as I don't want cockerels, I could not cull them and they cant be given away.

What can I do?

[Norfolk drew]

Have you tried shutting them out of their house

[minskey]

I put them in a pen inside the electric fence all day today, they ran around clucking dementedly, then they just found a space each and pretended to be on a nest!

[Norfolk drew]

Hmmmm strange normally denying them a nest box works they also dislike drafty places

[Glutton4...]

Borrow a wire pet crate and stand it on bricks to let the air circulate. Cover it to keep the rain off, and shut them in 24/7 for a week, with plenty of food and fresh water, but no corn.

[minskey]

I'll give that a try. I'll let you know how we get on.

[chris]

Mine has been broody for the same sort of time. I'm just letting her get on with it, in the past I've done all sorts of things to break them - but now I just let them get on with it. Nature knows best, IMO!

[kathyd]

I had one who did the same, and in the end we managed to find someone with fertile eggs to hatch. It was brilliant to watch, and we found out we have a very good little mother hen should we ever want to breed our own! The chicks went back to the original egg provider at around 8 weeks. Maybe you could try to find someone with eggs? If you decide to let them get on with it, you may need to lift them off their 'nests' a couple of times a day and put them by the food and water, 'cos they may not bother by themselves.

[elizajay]

I had the same problem, I didn't count how many weeks, but my hen was determined and very broody. She spent 3 days in a dog crate on bricks and is no longer broody.

[VirginVegGrower]

Mine has just given up broody after about four weeks. She decided she kept missing the chard

[Scarlet]

- but now I just let them get on with it Nature knows best, IMO!

There's nothing natural when some b@gger nicks your eggs!!!
If after several weeks they are still being broody and their losing weight I prefer to use the dog crate method. They can become rundown very quick after more than a month sitting on nothing.
The cold air underneath them really does work.

[Glutton4...]

Also, if they've already been broody for over a week, and you give them eggs to hatch, you run the risk of them getting bored half way through, and abandoning the eggs. Not only is that upsetting, it's a waste of time, effort and money.

[minskey]

Well................................ they have finally given up and are back to normal YEAY!!!

Both girls are skin and bone, they have decided to moult too, so they look a mess. Other than that they are both eating, preening and dust bathing.

Ta so much for all your help