There are several things to TRY; sometimes nothing works. try suspending them in an all wire cage with no feed, only water for several days. try putting them in another pen, strange to them, with no handy nesting areas.. wait untill they are over the broody period.

I agree, sometimes those little stinkers are STUBBORN and stay broody for ages! Putting them in a wire-bottomed cage or rabbit hutch so that air can circulate and cool their fluffy little undersides seems to work the best, although I don't deprive mine of food or water--I feel a broody hens' body is already overtaxed from brooding and she loses enough weight just from that. I want to ENCOURAGE her to come out and eat. :) I've got some other tips on breaking up a broody on my chicken info site, here:

http://home.earthlink.net/~velvetsparrow/VSChickHensBroodiesChicks.htm

Sometimes nothing works, I've had up to nine broodies at a time! *L*

Velvet ~:>

Velvet Sparrow.........
That's a great site you've made. It's a big help to me. Thanks!

I recently tried to stop my Black Austrolope Hen from brooding. She has been brooding for over 2 weeks. I tried everything in the book and then I got an idea. I found a piece of garden fencing . . . the green wire stuff with rectangular holes about 3 in x 2 in. I folded the wire into a box about 14" long and 10" wide with sides about 2" high. Then I set it over the nesting area. I figured this way, if she got on the nest and laid an egg that it would go through the wire holes into the nest. That's all it took. She has been off the nest all day just a clucking and a pecking outside the coop! Hope this works for you. I tried everything under the sun including dipping her in cool water but to no avail. This wire contraption has solved my (her) problem. Tim

To stop a brooding hen i found very effective putting icecubes and her a few time a day for couple of days and she is very stubborn but it did the trick

oops putting icecubes under her a few time a day