Broody Hen Thread!

[sonderah]

 

[Mommy 2 Wee Ones]

I am in wait mode again, 4 weeks ago, my banty that hatched out 4 chicks late spring, went broody for a week, and then abandoned the nest. Two days ago, we could not find our silky/NH cross hen. Found her under the deck stairs, opposite side of where the banty hatched her eggs back in June. I removed 13 eggs yesterday, but she has close to 10 still under her. I have put food in there for her, and a water container, but I need to move the chicken wire to block the other hens from trying to lay eggs near her. If I could move her, I would, but she is so far back under the stairs, I cannot reach her. If she stays on the eggs, the hatch date should be the 26th.

 

[ChickyChickens]

So...HennyPenny has got one chick and the rest of her eggs are pipping!!!!!

 

[daisysuern]

I need advice!! I am a first time chicken owner of three lovely but crazy barred rock chickens. Occasionally I have had one brooding and was able to break her of the habit quickly by using the tips I read. My chicken, Doomsday, now for two weeks is breaking my heart trying to become a mom (we do not have a rooster). She is getting nastier by the day and is not letting the other chickens near the coop so they can lay their eggs in the nesting box. She is not a good mom anyway, as she cracks the eggs that she is trying to hatch! I let them free range during the day and am constantly kicking her out and locking her out of the coop. As soon as she gets an opportunity (now at dusk) she is back in the nesting box. Anyone have any other suggestions in helping her break out of this? If we are not home they are in a canopy that surrounds the coop so she is able to get in there during the day. She then does not drink or eat. Free ranging her all day does not break her out of it. Any thoughts would be much appreciated!!

 

[abserbean]

Update on my broody girl. I haven't been able to get any day old chicks yet, but I think my feed store has some coming in this week, so I will try to be there for delivery. She has been on the nest for over three weeks now, and looks pitiful. Her weight is okay, but her comb is pale, her feathers look dirty and she smells. I don't think she is dustbathing anymore, she was the first two weeks, but when she comes off the nest she is dazed and the other hens pick on her. should I rub her down with some sand?

 

[sonderah]

Update on my broody girl. I haven't been able to get any day old chicks yet, but I think my feed store has some coming in this week, so I will try to be there for delivery. She has been on the nest for over three weeks now, and looks pitiful. Her weight is okay, but her comb is pale, her feathers look dirty and she smells. I don't think she is dustbathing anymore, she was the first two weeks, but when she comes off the nest she is dazed and the other hens pick on her. should I rub her down with some sand? 

Is she pooping in the nest?

 

[chickengeorgeto]

Update on my broody girl.... She has been on the nest for over three weeks now, and looks pitiful.... her comb is pale, her feathers look dirty and she smells....

Three weeks or 21 days is as long as nature intended for a hen to sit. The smell could well be coming from rotten eggs exploding in the nest and dirty feathers is almost a sure sign of a serious red mite infestation. The dirt may actually be mite feces. You may not see a single red mite on your chickens during daylight hours but after Sundown the red mites come out of hiding to feed on your chickens blood. A pale comb on a sitting hen is normal and is a hormone reaction to her being broody and not an indication of health.

 

[JekkaLynn]

Update on my broody girl. I haven't been able to get any day old chicks yet, but I think my feed store has some coming in this week, so I will try to be there for delivery. She has been on the nest for over three weeks now, and looks pitiful. Her weight is okay, but her comb is pale, her feathers look dirty and she smells. I don't think she is dustbathing anymore, she was the first two weeks, but when she comes off the nest she is dazed and the other hens pick on her. should I rub her down with some sand? 

You could buy some diatomaceous earth. It is a holistic pesticide and can be mixed with the dirt the normally sand bath in to help kill bugs.

 

[chickengeorgeto]

You could buy some diatomaceous earth. It is a holistic pesticide and can be mixed with the dirt the normally sand bath in to help kill bugs.

DE will not control red mites because they are not even on the chicken when the chicken is dust bathing. Then for residual DE on the chicken to control Red Mites after dark, by definition of how DE is supposed to work the cutting gnawing action of DE will irritate the chickens' tender skin.

 

[abserbean]

She isn't sitting on any eggs, except those her flock mates lay and I remove, so no rotten eggs. We don't have a roo, and since she had been on the nest almost ten days when we got home, I didn't want to start her with purchased eggs. I have tried to break her brood, but we were on vacation when she started so I didn't catch it early. She has been pooping outside, but did have one accident yesterday in the nest, and I think that is where her stink is coming from. The eggs I removed from under her had to be tossed, because they were filthy. I took her out and cleaned out her nest, sprayed with poultry protector and added new hay and pine shavings. She doesn't have any red skin or other signs of mites, but I did spray her with poultry protector to be sure. She has been such a sweet broody, never pecks me, lets me get eggs, she will be a great mom! We really don't have room for any more birds, we are maxed out, but I was going to try and graft a couple of chicks to her to get her off the nest. Since they will be sexed chicks (hopefully correctly), I should be able to find homes for them when they are about six weeks or so. I still have five 18 week pullets from an earlier broody hatch, and one 7 week old from our last broody hatch that is probably a roo that I will have to rehome. We weren't going to keep all five pullets originally, but we have become attached! I need a bigger place at the rate this chicken math is going! We never factored having broody hens into the equation.