Broody Hen Thread!

[fisherlady]

Does she get in and out this tote to use the bathroom/stretch her legs??? Having her food and water next to her is a No-No in my opinion. She will poop in her nest with a set-up like this----broody poop is not like normal poop if you haven't experienced that yet. A ideal broody pen will have a place for her to get off the nest to stretch her legs, dust bath, food and water far enough away that she has to get off the eggs to get to it---then she want poop all over everything. I use totes like this but I cut a big hole in one end so the hen can walk in and out and the chicks can get in and out after they are hatched. Good Luck

I agree that she should have a better option for moving around when she wants, I think you could do it though by a bit of adjustment without having to cut the tote if you don't want to...
I'm not a big fan of excessive moving of a bird but this could be another option, though I also have a lot of totes with holes cut in them!
Get some chicken wire or similar fencing, pick her directly upwards, being very careful to check under her wings for tucked eggs first, and set her into the wired off area to stretch for a few minutes. Place her eggs onto a folded towel for safekeeping, set the tub over onto it's side and rebuild her nest, placing the eggs into it. Use the wire to create a small 'paddock' in front of the open end of the box. Leave food and water in the fenced area where she can get it when she gets up to stretch. I would also drape a towel or sheet over the top of paddock area to create a 'roof' to prevent her from jumping over it.

 

[blessings6]

this is my rooster he is a blue Cochin i think and hen is a buff Brahma. Will all the eggs be hers or could they be a little of everyone's. Just trying to figure out what my chicks will be.

 

[blessings6]

better picture

 

[fisherlady]

this is my rooster he is a blue Cochin i think and hen is a buff Brahma. Will all the eggs be hers or could they be a little of everyone's. Just trying to figure out what my chicks will be.

The eggs will be from all of the hens, most likely...Sometimes a hen can sneak away and make a private nest that only she contributes to, but it is rare, usually the eggs are collected from any hen in the flock. A hen can carry eggs from one nest to another also, so unless she was blocked into a private area there is no way to know.

 

[James Beller]

It is a broody hen who has 12 or so eggs and she constantly leaves the nest for a new one. I am a little worried because not even one has tried to get out.

 

[nchls school]

Maybe next time.

 

[mymilliefleur]

Quote:
Did you have any hatch? I hope you have better luck next time.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

So had to take Phoenix my EE to my vet last night as she had gotten pecked in the eye last Thursday and we have been watching it and flushing it out just to make it she doesn't get anything in it. But yesterday morning my neighbor who is helping me care for my flock while we are living at the hotel noticed that it was swollen crusted over and hot to the touch. So she opened it and it had foam in it which she flushed out and then applied antibiotic ointment to it and let me know. So I checked it last night and found that it was filled with cottege cheese solid looking junk. I called my vet who wanted me to being her as he was worried that she may have scratched or cut her cornea. So rushed her over with my 15 yr soon cuddling her and telling me to drive faster really scared that she was going to die (she is his favorite). Thankfully my vet exam showed that she didn't have a cut or scratch to her cornea just that it was inflamed from her scratching it so he gave us lube drops and told us to use them twice a day and to keep applying the antibiotic ointment and keep her in her own cage using only paper towels,food, water and scratch. That she should be fine by tomorrow night. He also said that unless its bedtime we need to make sure she is keeping the eye open that we can't let her keep it closed as that keeps the infection in it rather then out of it.
Here is a picture of Phoenix eye that my neighbor sent me this morning her eye looks so much better then last night.

 

[mymilliefleur]

So had to take Phoenix my EE to my vet last night as she had gotten pecked in the eye last Thursday and we have been watching it and flushing it out just to make it she doesn't get anything in it. But yesterday morning my neighbor who is helping me care for my flock while we are living at the hotel noticed that it was swollen crusted over and hot to the touch. So she opened it and it had foam in it which she flushed out and then applied antibiotic ointment to it and let me know. So I checked it last night and found that it was filled with cottege cheese solid looking junk. I called my vet who wanted me to being her as he was worried that she may have scratched or cut her cornea. So rushed her over with my 15 yr soon cuddling her and telling me to drive faster really scared that she was going to die (she is his favorite). Thankfully my vet exam showed that she didn't have a cut or scratch to her cornea just that it was inflamed from her scratching it so he gave us lube drops and told us to use them twice a day and to keep applying the antibiotic ointment and keep her in her own cage using only paper towels,food, water and scratch. That she should be fine by tomorrow night. He also said that unless its bedtime we need to make sure she is keeping the eye open that we can't let her keep it closed as that keeps the infection in it rather then out of it.
Here is a picture of Phoenix eye that my neighbor sent me this morning her eye looks so much better then last night.

Is she acting normal? I had a GLW last winter that had a nasty eye infection. I put Antibiotic ointment in her eye twice a day for about 4 days. She recovered, and amazingly enough, did not lose the eye.

 

[Dani4Hedgies]

Mymillliefleur,
She was acting a bit out of it last night but this morning my neighbor said she was acting more normal.