Now!?! I have a broody...make that 2 broodies!

[Javamama]

Murphy's law of chicken keeping For 3 years with 6 breeds of hens I have hoped for a broody. "Nope, not interested, where's the treats?", they say to me.
So I go about asking them politely, to eventually culling my roosters, then moving in some ducklings, and *now* the matriarch wants to sit on the nest
You have got to be kidding me. Couldn't you have gone broody say, 2 weeks ago when the ducklings were expected to arrive? I could have even added a couple of sweet little chicken chicks to the order.
Meyer Hatchery had a great special this week for their anniversary...25 pullets for 25 bucks...Oh, I just can't...or CAN I? :bun

 

[sufficientforme]

Stay away from the special, stay away from the special, I do not need more chickens, I do not need more chickens......
I saw this on BYC and I had to exit the thread fast I do not neeeeeed more chickens, it's a great deal if you do though!
I still have brooders in the house full of birds I do not need more!
We had our first broody after 3 years of chickens this year also, she was a total pain and finally after stealing her eggs, moving the nest and booting her to the pen she broke and is getting back to laying business. She was not on fertilized eggs since there is no roo in her pen but she was convinced she needed to be a Mom!

 

[Javamama]

The 3 year broody I guess they decided they better procreate before it's too late.
I need to make an "out of order" sign for the nest box. Of course, she would be in the favorite box and all the other hens are having fits about it. Silly birds.

 

[sufficientforme]

LOL, yes while ours was broody there was quite a ruckus in the favorite nestbox, they would squawk and yack at her to get the heck out and finally they would just lay over the top of her (the box is that small) and lay and she would be happy as a clam with more eggs to lay on.

 

[Javamama]

I remove one from the nest box, another one takes over The first one is in broody jail and she is hopping mad. I'm so glad I don't understand chicken language as she gives me an earful every time I walk outside.
My second one - I just pulled her off the nest and she walked around dazed and confused for awhile. She's not as committed yet, but I may as well give #1 some company in the jailhouse.
Lord, let there not be another. I can't take the temptation

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I have a broody, too, that I just can't break. She's driving me nuts, has hogged the favorite nesting box, and instead of laying around her the other hens have just quit laying.

:/

 

[Javamama]

QA, that's a bad situation What you gonna do with her?

I'm not sure if I want to have any chicks right now. We were planning on doing some culling in the fall. I really want to get rid our RIR's and a few others that are on my "evil bird must go" list. Production has been really low the last few days, but it might be because of the stinky weather we are having. Frequent tornado sirens tend to freak them out a little
And now I've got these ducklings but only so much space...what to do...what to do...

 

[Quail_Antwerp]

I dunno what to do with her. I thought about putting her in a crate and waiting a night or two, and then sticking some of my young newly hatched chicks under her. See if that breaks her.

Or I could try the old trick of dunking her in water. :/

We're trying to increase flock sizes of the ones I'm selling hatching eggs from so that I can both afford to sell the hatching eggs and have eating eggs from them so that I don't have the need for a separate layer flock.