Brand new chicken keeper need advice.

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Actually the title is a bit of a fib as my dad was a farmer and we had chickens at the house. However my involvement was pretty much limited to egg collecting.
Anyway, bought DH 4 point o lays at Christmas. . They are very handsome ladies now and turn out at least one egg a day each..

So to my question.
One hen has gone broody. Refuses to leave her nesting box. Feel a bit sad for her because it's a fruitless occupation as we have no cockerel. What do I do. Leave the eggs she's laid under her ? Shove her off and nick the eggs (seems a bit harsh) Bring next doors cockerel round for conjugal chicken action ? then let her have another go at it..
am I right in thinking broody is the dog equivalent of being in season ?

Just lift her off the eggs and pop her outside to the layers pellets/corn/melon/pasta/peas or whatever tasty treats you’ve put out. Then take the eggs. 😄. I’ve got a broody hen who’s now 8yo and has been like it since being a year old. Take no notice she’ll be fine.

Mine used to get broody and I would remove the eggs and lock her out of the hen house for a while to distract her. They will sit on eggs and not eat/drink when broody.

You can get ceramic eggs which you can replace the eggs she is trying to hatch, if she leaves them for a minute to eat. You can also put something in the nest box to stop her from going back on there, like an upside down plant pot or something similar. You need to encourage her to leave the box, as they can just waste away trying to hatch their brood. Difficult I know as they are quite baity when broody like this. Good luck OP!

Awwww poor little chick ! All a bit hysterical of her then ! I always assumed they only went broody when they laid fertilised eggs.. this seems like a 'design fault' where they sit on eggs that will never hatch .

Do you know how this lasts ? If she continues do you think a visit to the handsome cockerel next door would be a good idea and let her actually hatch some chicks ?

Does she feel hot? A real broody heats up and the trick is to cool her down. So lift her off the eggs and like a pp said, lock her out of the house (with food and water obviously). Once cool she should go off the idea.

Is she a hybrid or a pure breed? I have hybrid hens and ime they go half hearted broody, they will sit on the eggs but if you take them and offer cake crumbs that's the end of it.

She really has lost her marbles now. DH pinched her eggs this morning, to no avail. She is now trying to hatch a pile of straw.. as soon as it stops raining I'm going out to evict her. I'll just put her in the garden and close the hen house. Do feel a bit sorry for her though.. bit like having a phantom pregnancy. I think a trip next door to Mr C is in order. .

Hi everyone. Update on the batshit broody... it's 2 and a half weeks now and this crazy chicken has resisted all attempts to dislodge her. Shutting the hen house has only meant she takes up residence under the hedge. It's a full time job chasing her around to stop her brooding - and as I have a ft job recreational chicken bothering only occurs evenings and weekends.

To add insult to injury they have all (4) now stopped laying. Is this normal. Will normal service be resumed when Mrs Slug-a-Bed finally gets over herself ?