What to feed my chickens

[josh85]

So this is what I have gotten for my girls so far and my new question is I have a bird that is sitting on the eggs is that a bad thing and if so how do I get her to stop

 

[josh85]

yes, they are dust bathing.

thanks I was worried something was wrong with sally

 

[chicklover 1998]

So this is what I have gotten for my girls so far and my new question is I have a bird that is sitting on the eggs is that a bad thing and if so how do I get her to stop

if you have a rooster she will hatch out those eggs if you don't have a rooster you have to "break the broody" a broody is a hen that broods eggs the only way they will hatch is if they are fertilized by a rooster but if you don't want chicks you also have to keep collecting the eggs and keep her out of the nest, mixed breed chicks are perfectly healthy like mutts of the dog world, I only added that because there was someone on BYC that had wondered if mixed breed chicks were going to be ok

 

[chicklover 1998]

sorry I forgot to add how to break a broody, you can add a frozen water bottle to the nest to get her temp down, if she is colder then she is less likely to want to brood, another option is that you can put her in a wire dog cage with nothing else but food and water.

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

sorry I forgot to add how to break a broody, you can add a frozen water bottle to the nest to get her temp down, if she is colder then she is less likely to want to brood, another option is that you can put her in a wire dog cage with nothing else but food and water.

I'm not sure a frozen water bottle should be used like that, it could cause frostbite, best just to remove the hen to somewhere else, or the wire bottomed crate.

 

[chicklover 1998]

I know it may seem to cause frostbite and I should have added more this option is one that should be used when it's hot out or if you are using a heated coop.

 

[josh85]

I'm not sure a frozen water bottle should be used like that, it could cause frostbite, best just to remove the hen to somewhere else, or the wire bottomed crate.

so I should just put her in a cage away from all the other chickens that seems kinda mean to do whats the worst that could happen if I don't have a rooster to fertilized eggs then even if she's doing the broody thing what is the worst thing that could happen

 

[oldhenlikesdogs]

I have left some broodies sitting, most will sit for 1-2 months before slowly becoming unbroody. If you decide to leave her make sure you occasionally pick her up and make sure she's not losing too much weight or parasites aren't getting out of control. Breaking them takes around 3 days. A broody sitting for months could deteriorate health wise. I think it's kinder to break them, they seem uncomfortable when broody.

 

[josh85]

I have left some broodies sitting, most will sit for 1-2 months before slowly becoming unbroody. If you decide to leave her make sure you occasionally pick her up and make sure she's not losing too much weight or parasites aren't getting out of control. Breaking them takes around 3 days. A broody sitting for months could deteriorate health wise. I think it's kinder to break them, they seem uncomfortable when broody.

OK now it makes sense... So do I just make a small chicken run for her self what has the mesh on the bottom? I m asking cuz I really know nothing about chickens at all I got mine about 2 weeks ago and all I knew was Rhode Island Reds are good egg layers. So I bought them and realized I know nothing about chickens. I've been known to do things spontaneously lol

 

[yochickiemomma]

Is she refusing to get up off the eggs or is h just setting on them for a few hours then leaving them? I have a couple hens that'll set for a few hrs and growel (for lack of a better description) when I try to take the eggs. If I wait a while they will get up and go find something else to do. Do you have a dog crate? That would probably work too.