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Broody hen

post #1 of 16
10/7/12 at 3:14am
Thread Starter 

Hi, Can anyone help please! I have a broody hen, (the in the middle of my profile picture) she has been laying on eggs for about 4 days now. She has moved nesting boxes so she must be getting out to eat and drink. I have read that i have to move her to a wire bottom cage to cool her down, but can i leave her be until she is over it or will that harm her? she is very aggresive when i try to touch her, which is understandable but i just want to do what is best for her. any advice would be grately appreciated. Thank you :) 

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post #2 of 16
10/7/12 at 3:58am

Hello and welcome to BYC frow.gif Is she sitting on fertile eggs that you want her to hatch? If that's the case leave her to it. The eggs should hatch after ± 21 days and apart from food and water when she gets up and a safe, dry place to sit, the hen won't need anything.

Putting them in a wire cage helps break broodiness. It does cool the hen down, yes. Their body temperature goes up a bit when they are broody and putting them in a wire cage makes it difficult for them to maintain that temperature, so after a few days they give up and stop being broody. It's not harmful to the hen to do it this way.

 

A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked ~ Bernard Meltzer

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A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked ~ Bernard Meltzer

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post #3 of 16
10/7/12 at 4:59am
In my opinion, you need to break her from being broody if you are not going to let her hatch eggs. Broody hens don't eat, drink, or exercize enough to maintain top health. They are stressed out and can be more susceptible to disease and parasites. Some can stay broody for months.

Here is a thread on breaking broodies. The only method I've ever tried is the wire bottomed cage method and it has always worked. I cannot vouch for any of the other methods.

Break a Broody Thread
http://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pid=2176186#p2176186

Good luck!
Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought....Abraham Lincoln (Freedom carries responsibility)

The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right.....Judge Learned Hand  (The more sure your are that your way is the only right way, the more likely you are wrong.)
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Freedom is not the right to do what we want, but what we ought....Abraham Lincoln (Freedom carries responsibility)

The spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure that it is right.....Judge Learned Hand  (The more sure your are that your way is the only right way, the more likely you are wrong.)
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post #4 of 16
10/7/12 at 5:02am
Thread Starter 

Hi thank you for your reply. No the eggs are not fertile, it's sad that she wants babies and nothing is going to happen. What would happen if i Just leave her alone? i do have a wire cage but my rabbits are in there today as the escaped this morning and i was chasing them around the garden at 7:30am. i need to secure their cage first as we have lots of foxes nearby. thank  you :)  

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post #5 of 16
10/7/12 at 5:04am
Thread Starter 

Hi Ridgerunner

 

sorry so slow typing only just see your reply.

 

i will put her in the cage today thank you for your repl yi will let you know how we get on :)

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post #6 of 16
10/7/12 at 7:47am

4 horses: Arabian (Polish), Arabian, BLM, Paint thbrd 1/4, 2 dogs: 1 terrior mix, 1 blue nose bull with gotti line, 1 cat: caleco, 7 koi fish, chickens: 11 bramma's, 10 rhode island reds, 4 white leghorns, 5 buff orpington's, 1 black Minorca, 1 duckwing, 1 brown leghorn, 1 (possibly) polish, 1 grey bantom. guinea's: 6 white, 5 pearl grey, 5 lavender. turkeys: 4 blue slate, 4 royal palm.

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4 horses: Arabian (Polish), Arabian, BLM, Paint thbrd 1/4, 2 dogs: 1 terrior mix, 1 blue nose bull with gotti line, 1 cat: caleco, 7 koi fish, chickens: 11 bramma's, 10 rhode island reds, 4 white leghorns, 5 buff orpington's, 1 black Minorca, 1 duckwing, 1 brown leghorn, 1 (possibly) polish, 1 grey bantom. guinea's: 6 white, 5 pearl grey, 5 lavender. turkeys: 4 blue slate, 4 royal palm.

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post #7 of 16
10/7/12 at 7:52am
frow.gif & welcome-byc.gif from Alabama. Glad you joined us.

Dorothy: The woman keeps a chicken in her home, how normal can she be?
Rose: I kept a chicken in my home.
Dorothy: You see my point?
The Golden Girls "Long Day's Journey Into Marinara"

 

Check out my Blog: The Country Chick                          And be sure to check out our soap shop on Etsy, here.

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Dorothy: The woman keeps a chicken in her home, how normal can she be?
Rose: I kept a chicken in my home.
Dorothy: You see my point?
The Golden Girls "Long Day's Journey Into Marinara"

 

Check out my Blog: The Country Chick                          And be sure to check out our soap shop on Etsy, here.

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post #8 of 16
10/7/12 at 8:01am

Hello and welcome to BYC from Kentucky!

 

 

 

- New for 2013 - Breeding Icelandic Chickens -

 

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- New for 2013 - Breeding Icelandic Chickens -

 

- Member of The American Buckeye Club -

 

 

 

 

 

 

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post #9 of 16
10/7/12 at 9:22am

Hi andwelcome-byc.gif So glad you joined us!!!wee.gif

"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein
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"We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." Albert Einstein
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post #10 of 16
10/7/12 at 6:48pm

You will find great info and people here......welcome-byc.gif

We are on our way to being farmers! Our site is always under construction so check back often for updates.

 

  http://www.philosophyfarmstyle.com/ 

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We are on our way to being farmers! Our site is always under construction so check back often for updates.

 

  http://www.philosophyfarmstyle.com/ 

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