Another Broody Question

[Captain Cluck]

My BO hen was just on the nest for 3 1/2 weeks trying to hatch golf balls and infertile eggs. She refuses to leave the nest and hops right back on when I remove her. She seems very determined to hatch something - anything. When I moved the golf balls to another nest, she stole them back. My other hens are quite happy to lay eggs in her nest, and she is happy to set on them. We do not have a roo. I do have fertile duck eggs, but my ducks are not broody.

My question is: since she wants to stay on the nest and keeps trying to hatch everyone else's eggs, do you think she will set for another 4 weeks on duck eggs? Or should I try to break her brooding and let her rest for a few weeks? She feels rather thin to me and I was feeding her at the nest, but I don't want her to get sick or lose more weight.



Should I go along with her and let her hatch ducklings, or try to break her broodiness?

 

[Happy Chooks]

If she's thin, another 28 days might be too much. If you decide not to give her the duck eggs, you could always go to the feed store for some baby chicks and slip them under her at night.

 

[Lisa202]

My broody just hatched a little chick, but the chick died 4 days later. She immediately stole some more eggs and started to sit. She wasn't thin looking to me and she had no mites, so I decided to let her do it again. She quit about 5 days later. Maybe she knew that enough days went by, and since she had no chicks, she decided that she was done.

I have heard of chickens brooding back to back. I was told that if she looked healthy to let her try it, but that it would be better if she didn't.

Since mine quit and she's been out with the others, I have noticed that she is a little on the smaller side, so I'm glad she quit.

But now, one of the other girls just started brooding, and

...I just ordered 5 silkies to arrive in 22 days so....I may be able to give them to the new brooder.

 

[Captain Cluck]

I'd love to do that, but we already have 18 hens and 6 ducks (2 drakes, 4 ducks) on a suburban lot. My husband would disown me if I brought home more chickens! I've already agreed to sell or eat most of the hens. He's cool with the ducks, tho.

I guess she insists on staying on the nest, I'll give her one day's worth (wow! 3 whole eggs!) of duck eggs just to satisfy her. That way, if she breaks her brooding, I won't lose a lot of ducklings and if she hatches them, I'll only have 3 more to deal with.

I'll just have to keep up the catered meals.

 

[Lisa202]

Quote:
Good, I'm not the only one that brougth meals to my brooder

And then would sit there for 10 minutes shooing off all the other chickens that want to eat it...even though they all have a big plate of exactly the same thing just 2 feet away.

 

[Lisa202]

Quote:
Maybe he won't notice

If they look like any other chickens, you can tell him that he's just seeing things.