Broody hen?

[bigbum1984]

i have 3 lohmann hybrids that are a year old, i've recently added 6 chicks (14 weeks old) to my flock which seem to be getting on ok. one of my adults doesn't seem to like the chicks but now i think she's gone broody.

she normally lays within 10 minutes then goes out with the rest of them, but today she's been inside all day. she's laying on the egg she laid plus one of the others. she hasn't eaten or drunk anything since about 11 this morning (it is nearly 11pm)

when i went to check on her she didn't try to peck me or anything, she even let me touch the eggs, she stands up when any of the others goes in but is not puffing her feathers up or threatening them in anyway.

i have raised my adults from 5 week olds so they are very tame, but this is my first time doing this so have a few questions

1 - is she broody?
2 - do i need to put water and food inside for her?
3 - do i separate her from the others?
4 - how long could she be broody for?
5 - should i get some fertilised eggs?
6 - if so how do i swap them without her rejecting them?

all 3 adults lay their eggs on a shelf, she didn't seem bothered when one of the others laid an egg beside her

any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

 

[Judy]

1 - is she broody?
2 - do i need to put water and food inside for her?
3 - do i separate her from the others?
4 - how long could she be broody for?
5 - should i get some fertilised eggs?
6 - if so how do i swap them without her rejecting them?

all 3 adults lay their eggs on a shelf, she didn't seem bothered when one of the others laid an egg beside her

any help would be greatly appreciated!!!!!!!

If she stays on the nest all night and all day, she is likely broody, though she might also be upset or not feeling well. A broody will stop laying, plck out her breast feathers, and usually growl at you when you approach. She will usually also squat and flatten herself out if you lifh er out of the nest. If you prod her, she may eat and drink, but will probably return to the nest shortly. She may return to a different nest; they don't always seem to know one from another.

Really I feel the best way to handle a broody, once you are sure she is broody, is separate her in an areal large enough that she has to get off hte nest to eat and drink. so she will get a lttle exercise. If you move her to a broody area then wait another 24 hours, you can be reasonably certain she is going to stay broody. Sometimes just moving them breaks the broody cycle. The simplest way to break a broody is give her either some fertile eggs to hatch, or slip a few day old chicks under her at night. Do your egg swapping or chick adding just after dark to make it more likely she will accept it.

They can stay broody for many weeks if no chicks hatch, but if they get chicks, they will stop being broody and raise the chicks for a few weeeks, then return to the flock and laying.

http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/broody-hens-1.html

 

[bigbum1984]

Today she has gone outside but has separated herself from the others, she's not coming when i call her and she's not really eaten much, she looks healthy enough, really confused!!