[Anndee]

Hi everyone.
Hope someone can help me.
 My three bantams have all gone broody - again  they are 2 Pekins and one wyandotte.
I don't want them to hatch any eggs, they aren't laying anyway once they go broody that all stops!
Is there any way I can prevent this happening so often? It doesn't seem five minutes since they were broody before. In fact the black Pekin has only laid about 6 eggs in 4/5 months!!!
They are all just over 1 year old now and we are starting to despair with them. They just want to sit in the hen house and not come out, none of them.
Do I leave them in there to get on with it, and come out for food and water when they want to, or do I turf them out and then watch them huddle up near the house wanting to be back in?
Hope someone can give us some advice as what to do for the best
Thanks in advance

[jennie hennie]

You'll get lots of advice & there are lots of posts about broodies if you type it in.
Personally  - my bantam x who's broody regularly usually snaps out of it if I cage her during the day, with food & water of course, for 2/3days. At night I block the nest boxes off.
She lays 3 out of 4 days for about 3 weeks (enough for a clutch) goes broody, I snap her out of it, she usually comes back into lay within 10 - 20 days. The circle of life.  Bless
The joys of bantams!
Look on the bright side, they eat less & cause less damage in the garden. I have 1 LF who is a brilliant layer & keeps me in eggs but oh the plant damage.
Good Luck.

[ANHBUC]

I wonder if one of those nest inserts that rolls away the eggs would work.  It would be harder to go broody on plastic especially if the eggs disappear.  Just a thought.   

[joyfull]

mine go broody and will sit on fresh air so wouldn't work with mine 

[Casey76]

Well unfortunately pekins and dottes are quite maternal breeds, and do often go broody.

The best thing to do is at the first hint of broodyness, pop them in a suspected wire cage for a couple of days.  The earlier you catch them, the quicker they will snap out of it (usually)

[Fiona55]

I manage to stop mine being broody by putting in a small wire cage with plenty of food & water.  I keep them in there for 48 hours but make sure that they are secure at night & out of the way of rats etc - my husbands land rover is proving a good overnight resting place for the cage!

[Pixieswift]

I agree with joyfull my bantam will sit on fresh air and go broody, little Gladys only has to smell a bit of rain in the air (which is all the time in Scotland) and she goes broody, if another girl is laying an egg, Gladys wants to sit on it she is broody all the time. I have decided it's best to let them get on with it, i really dont think you can erase that broodiness from them they just want to sit she comes out for a week if it's sunny then when the weather get bad she thinks sod this im going back in the nest box She can sit a full cycle and never have seen an egg she does not need an egg to sit on to be broody!!! The most annoying thing is it is definately catching i only have 4 and not so long ago all 4 were broody, at least they all kept each other company

[Anndee]

Many thanks for all your responses. It sounds like they obviously don't need any eggs to be broody as none of mine are even laying now let alone sitting on any!
 They all began being broody again 2 days ago and are all just sitting in the nest box, not wanting to come out. Last time it happened, which was only about 2 months ago, I spent all the time lifting them out only for them to go straight back in again. This time they can stay in there. There is food and water in the run and if they want it they can come out for it.
 I did try Penny, the black Pekin in a wire dog crate last time but I left her in it, inside the pen, so she was entirely safe at night, and the one and only night she was in it,  I heard a noise and looked out and there was a bl**dy fox looking at her. When I yelled at it it cleared off but it put me off leaving her in it again, so she was reprieved. The house and run are very near our bedroom window, we live in a bungalow, and we have PIR lights that come on so as soon as it came on thats when I looked out and saw Mr. Foxy. 2 nights later my hubby saw the same fox prowling around on our back patio area. fortunately none have been back but thats not to say they won't be.
I guess I'll just have to sit it out  and wait until they've sat it out.

[Pixieswift]

I think thats the only way little monkeys 

[Anndee]

Well yesterday I put them all into a wire dog crate raised off the ground with a brick at each corner and newspaper underneath to catch the poop It is in the garage where they are safe from predators. I put them in there at 4pm so they can stay in there now until Sunday afternoon  . See if that makes them snap out of it. Penny the black pekin is very cleverly sitting on the food bowl that is attached to the side of the crate. So now the others can't get to the food and she is probably pooing in it! 

[Pixieswift]

I couldnt do that with my poppets i would feel to bad, i just let mine sit none the wonder they keep going broody as i fluff there bedding for them each day and give them all breakfast in bed :nowink:lift them out for a poo and then let them go back they must be laughing to themselves thinking lets stay here and let the human wait on us we can pretend we are broody and she will do everything Good luck and keep us posted

[Anndee]

Well the girls are released and out again now from the dog crate! can't say that its done much good to be honest. they are still hankering to be back into the house. so now I've resorted to putting them out and closing the pop hole so they can't get back in. They aren't laying anyway so thats not a problem. Just need to get them to get out and about now in the garden foraging 
Who said keeping hens was easy!!!!??

[ANHBUC]

Who said keeping hens was easy!!!!??

Not me!!   

[Anndee]

Latest update. Well.
This morning we have finally decided to come out of the henhouse all on our own!!!
13 days of all three being broody together 
The wire crate didn't work so in the end I just pushed them out of the house in a very undignified manner, much to their disgust, and shut the pop hole on them.
As they weren't laying it didn't matter if they couldn't get back in.
It seems to have got through to them anyway that being stubborn isn't going to work 
Hopefully they may even start to lay again?? Well at least till the next time they decide to go agrophobic!!
Anne

[viettaclark]

My Speckledie, Galaxy, has been a real broody since we got her. I tried everything; ice packs, cold water dunks but not the cage because I've got nowhere to keep it!
One brood she went for 12 weeks!
I don't worry about it now. I make sure the eggs are collected regularly and turf her out periodically. When all the birds have laid, the nest box is blocked off and she comes out into the garden usually being very neurotic and verbal. I have known her to brood on the rungs because I leave the pop-hole open now. I forgot one night that it was closed and was a bit late shutting them in!! You should've seen the looks I got from the poor birds all perched on the ladder trying to get in!!
With the nest box being blocked off she cannot nest properly for at least 18 hours a day and I'm sure this has cut down her broody time. Less than 3 weeks this time!!!