Rural Gardening: Broody Chickens, 1 by catlindsey

catlindsey wrote:
I want to thank all of you for your discussions on broody chickens. This has been a somewhat frustrating occurrence for me, as I only have 5 hens and many times they'll all go broody at once. Instead of letting them be and let nature take its course, I've tried all types of maneuvers to get my babies to abandon this most basic of instincts. I am ashamed to say, I took one person's advice and isolated them into cages outside on colder nights. (I was told this would lower the temperatures in their breasts) When I read the other day, the obvious joy y'all had over your chicken's broodiness, I had my epiphany and I will no longer fight this. Yesterday, I changed out all their nest with fresh bedding, placed my fake eggs into each nest and let them go at it. I now have a happy crew. My nesters are happy, my little rooster is happy, and I am happy. I love my chickens! They give me such joy, to just take a few minutes a day and watch them. I recently just received a whole passel of chicks from McMurray hatchery last Monday and am eagerly watching their progress daily. My next challenge is incorporating them into the regular flock.

Many Thanks, Cathy