[PaulineM]

Hi
I am at a crossroads with what to do with my little broody banty. 
Last year she was broody for 9 weeks even tho I kept her in a broody cage for 2 weeks, she just refused to come out of it until she was ready.
She went broody yesterday again, naked chest etc.
Do I try and break this broodiness again?
Should I aquire a few fertile eggs and let her sit? I have no cockerals, so probably could cope with one if the chick was male.
Do you have to isolate her if she is brooding?
Decisions Decisions 

[Rhiannon]

Well with one i had trouble breaking last year , her breeder offered me some fertile eggs and he would take the chicks back if i wanted , luckily she only went daft for 2 weeks we had her in a spare coop/ covered run with no access to the coop part .

Do you know a breeder who would be grateful to have her?

Some one with proper experience on brooding will answer if you have to isolate her but i expect a smal coop and run to herself  would be the thing??

[New shoot]

Trouble is Pauline you are likely to get up to 50% boys - that's what has always held me back from letting a broody sit before.  The poultry swap shop on here is always full of unwanted cockerals so you would have to be ready to dispatch them if you couldn't rehome 

If you go with the eggs, she will need isolating - you could get a broody coop or rabbit hutch with a run on fleabay.  I got one cheap last year & fixed it up for growing on young birds before introducing them to the big run.

[PaulineM]

I would never get rid of her  as she was the first bird we picked when choosing our lot and she is soooo pretty and lays such beeaauutiful eggs   
I was wondering if we let her sit on a couple or one fertile egg would that get the broodiness out of her for a year or will she always be broody 
Maybe I should try dunking her in cold water (her bottom I mean) 

[Rhiannon]

Segregation works better than botty dunking, botty dunking in my book is always the first step , then its put the difficult cow in a seperate coop, you could buy those false eggs and let her sit on them?

Think tho of the hen herself, you must do what is best for her however fond you are of her, she is going thru some mental torture /anguish sitting and sitting and getting nowhere,shes going to lose condition and be open to infection.

Shes probably always going to be broody its like some dogs and women , the instinct is stronger in some than others . yeah i guess she would sit one egg, just slip a few rubber false eggs under her so she does not know .

[binghamd]

If you put plastic or infertile eggs under her, how long will she sit on them? Could really get in a bad way. I have read in other places that its best to just isolate them without a nest box.

[joyfull]

my silkie crosses go broody at the drop of an egg - in summer they go in dog cages to break the broodiness but in this weather I just keep removing any eggs that they are sat on and turf them out of the nest boxes several times a day - their broodiness lasts doing this for 2 - 3 weeks but with the cage method they come out of it within 4 days.

[Kym503]

How about letiing her sit on unfertile eggs for a COUPLE OF WEEKS AND THEN placing 2 x day old chicks under her.  If you get legbars at least you know they are females...

I did this with my old hen who kept going broody.  Didn't stop her going broody again but it made me feel better!