Bizarre behavior.

[lazy gardener]

It's even more cruel to allow the broodiness to continue. Some hens will brood (even on pretend eggs) until they loose so much condition that they are at a very real risk of death either from secondary disease or from lack of nutrition.

 

[Paul Martinello]

Point taken.

 

[aart]

Might be harder to break her in hot weather, some folks put a fan blowing under the breaker cage.

My experience went like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest, I put her in a wire dog crate with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop and I would feed her some crumble a couple times a day.

I let her out a couple times a day(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two.

Water nipple bottle added after pic was taken.

 

[Paul Martinello]

So, this morning I’ve got two birds on the nest. Is it possible that I have two brooders at once???

Ps, Thanks for the detailed and informative response

 

[aart]

So, this morning I’ve got two birds on the nest. Is it possible that I have two brooders at once???

Ps, Thanks for the detailed and informative response

It's possible....but....I don't 'call broody' until they've been on the nest most the day and all night for 3 days running.

 

[Paul Martinello]

Update.

Yesterday all three hens stayed in the coop until about 2 PM. They came out for a couple of hours and were begging to get back in. This morning they’re all still in there, very confusing ...

Usually they’re all up at sunrise.

 

[chickens really]

Don't lock them out all day...That's counterproductive...

 

[pasuit]

Hi folks,

I find this both bizarre and disturbing in equal measure. Recently the smallest of my girls, who coincidently happens to be at the bottom of the pecking order, has become broody. She comes out in the morning to feed and water, then jumps straight back into the coop. The last three days I’ve gone to check on her at about 10:30 AM as we’re going through quite a hot spell here. The first time I couldn’t quite believe what I was seeing. One of the other hens had climbed into the nesting box and was sitting on top of her. By the time I’d rearrange things the poor little one was puffing and panting, and obviously quite distressed. This has happened for three days running now. Any ideas on what I can do to stop this?

FYI they are Wyandotte pullets.

Cheers

Paul

 

[pasuit]

You may be fighting a loosing battle. Many times my chickens shared sitting on the nest and hatching the eggs. Sometimes it's a good thing. This spring one of my crippled Ameraucanas was brooding and one of my Silkies decided to help her. They split the eggs up and hatched them in the same nest. I had built the nest larger for the crippled one because of her leg.They took turns keeping the eggs while one ate and watered. When they were hatched they took turns protecting the chicks. Very cute. Of course it was early spring.

 

[aart]

Update.

Yesterday all three hens stayed in the coop until about 2 PM. They came out for a couple of hours and were begging to get back in. This morning they’re all still in there, very confusing ...

Usually they’re all up at sunrise.

What were they doing in there...setting on a nest?
Was it cooler in coop than outside?