[Moonshine132435]

I've been keeping a few chickens for a year now (have two ISA Warren's left) and was recently given a Frizzle bantam. She went through a brutal period sorting out the pecking order, made worse as she's so much smaller than the others, but they'd settled down quite well. Although she's so beyond cute, she's clearly the dimmest lightbulb in that particular chandelier 

Well, now PomPom has gone broody; she's pulled out her breast feathers, she won't leave the nesting box, she pinches the other girls' eggs and doesn't lay any of her own, and she makes a noise like a pterydactyl out of The Lost World whenever I go near her. I shush her out each morning when I feed them and check for eggs so I know she's getting some food. As I'm getting all the eggs I need from the other two girls, is there any problem with leaving PomPom to be broody until it passes, it isn't doing her any harm is it?

[PaulineM]

Hi

Its probably a personal preference thing but I personally break the broody phase if I can.
I use an upturned pet carrier, upturned so that the wire lid is now the floor and if I do this at the first sign of broodiness the phase is usually over about 5 days later.

One of my bantams sat for 9 weeks last year on No eggs 

A broody can lose a lot of weight and condition over a broody phase and also they are more prone to lice and mite attack when they are sitting. It is also a nuisance lifting them out and making sure they have enough food and water when they sitting and also watching for them stealing the other girls eggs (Bless them) 

Good luck in whatever you decide 

[PaulineM]

Forgot to add I find egg production from my other girls can go down when one hen is broody 

[Casey76]

is there any problem with leaving PomPom to be broody until it passes, it isn't doing her any harm is it?

Actually it can be very harmful.

Without eggs, a broody can sit for up to 6 weeks, during which time her food intake decreases to approximately 1/3 of normal.  This leads to significant weight loss and loss of muscle tone.  During this period a brrody hen is much more susceptible to infestation from lice and mites, is more prone to respiratory infections and can even lose enough muscle tone to prevent walking.

Conversely it is quite easy to break a broody by putting her in a wire bottomed cage for a few days (might take up to a week) with food and water.  The draught around her nether regions will help to bring her temperatre down and break the hormonal change.

Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind... and putting her in a cage for a few days isn't going to harm her

[ANHBUC]

I agree that it not adviseable to leave a broody without hatching eggs.  As said their health can suffer so best to break the habit or give her some fertile eggs to sit on. 

[Moonshine132435]

Thanks for all your answers. I had been wondering if the other hen's more hostile attitude towards PomPom was a result of her pinching their eggs to brood, but perhaps that's giving them all a bit too much credit.

I think I'll see if I can bring her out of it. I've also heard that they can be brought out of it by colling their "bits" by dipping them in a pail of cool water, has anyone ever tried that?