broody hens dying

[oldchickenlady]

I have had 2 broody hens die this summer, one a few weeks ago and one last night. I am so upset as these were my SLW's I got from Jerry Foley. I could find no sign of any trauma or disease. I have plenty of food in 2 separate feeders and 2 separate waterers close to their nests, it isn't too hot, no predator could get to them...I am just stumped! Has anyone else had this problem? It's like they just starved themselves to death! But I often hand feed them while they are on the nest, so that shouldn't have been it. Maybe just not drinking? I've had chickens for 4 years now and never had a hen seriously go broody before. I decided to let these go broody after hatching some eggs in my home made incubator. One hen did hatch out 3 chicks earlier in the summer and did well with them until I sold the chicks.

 

[CAjerseychick]

I have had 2 broody hens die this summer, one a few weeks ago and one last night. I am so upset as these were my SLW's I got from Jerry Foley. I could find no sign of any trauma or disease. I have plenty of food in 2 separate feeders and 2 separate waterers close to their nests, it isn't too hot, no predator could get to them...I am just stumped! Has anyone else had this problem? It's like they just starved themselves to death! But I often hand feed them while they are on the nest, so that shouldn't have been it. Maybe just not drinking? I've had chickens for 4 years now and never had a hen seriously go broody before. I decided to let these go broody after hatching some eggs in my home made incubator. One hen did hatch out 3 chicks earlier in the summer and did well with them until I sold the chicks.

Maybe dehydration? I let my Broody go til day 25 (second month in a row, she lost Junes clutch to another hen)-- and I dont think she was getting off the nest the last 2 days or so-- I offered some water and she drank two bowls full... she was really thirsty....

 

[Majd]

Mind won't go off the nest by themselves if you kill them... I force let them out every other day and they eat and drink and poop a lot then back to eggs... and never had anything like this..... of one of them tries to go back immediately I foce chase her off to the outside..

 

[Casey09]

I chase pixie out of her nest once a day to stretch her legs but she has a bowl of water in her box and I feed her when I feed the other kids so they don't fight her for her food. She dosent stay out long but just long enough to stretch and for me to check her eggs

 

[oldchickenlady]

The last two days I have fed the 3 hens on the nest. One I do make get off the nest as she doesn't have any eggs under her, she's just setting in the nest. Of course, as soon as I leave she is right back on the nest. Yesterday I cooked some corn bread and crumbled some up and then poured some water over it and hand fed them that. Today I made some home made salsa, so I saved the peelings and trimmings off the tomatos, chopped them up with the food processor, and then mixed that up with more corn bread and water and fed that to them. They didn't seem interested at first, but once they got a taste of it they really ate it up! Tomorrow I think I will add some chopped corn and some black oil sunflower seeds to the moistened corn bread and see how they like that. I just don't want to lose any more of my Foley hens! I want to incubate some more this fall when they stop being broody and start laying again.

 

[Majd]

Good... hope all goes well...