still broody

[FURNYFARMER]

my 2 bantams havent laid now for 2 weeks, i know for sure that babs is broody because everytime i open the nesting box she is there and its about as difficult to move her as it is to get my wife out of clothes shops! henrietta hasnt been nesting but she hasnt laid. how long can this go on for? is henrietta not laying because of the change in babs? can the weather change things?

help!!!

[HenPen]

I haven't for bantams and am a bit of a chicken newbie - but my CouCou Maran hen has been broody twice this summer. The first time it went on and on. My neighbour swears by excluding them from the coop. I tried that, as it seemed the kindest way, shoving her out for the day after everyone had laid, but it wasn't a success.

In the end I tried dunking (it was summer - I think she quite liked it) combined with some time in the broody pen or sin bin as we called it. She was cured within a few days but I wasn't entirely sure if the broodiness had just run its course, since it had been going on for weeks by then.

Second time it was too chilly for dunking, so I just went with the broody pen and did it properly. She was in there most of the day with a few leg stretches, then I took her out at night and let her roost with the others, but first I blocked off the nest box with a piece of thick cardboard until the morning, when she went straight into the sin bin so the other four could lay their eggs.

I was pretty chuffed as she was cured really quickly. I think it was about a week. I think the fact that hubby was doing lots of work on the run, hammering and sawing, helped as well!

So... Broody pen and DIY are my recommendations! But I am sure there are many better qualified than me to give advice on this one.

[HenPen]

I haven't for bantams and am a bit of a chicken newbie -

I mean I haven't got bantams!