brooding hens

[mike n deb]

I have 2 out of 4 hens that have spent the last two wks huddled together in the coop.Will they get over this behavior if so how long will it last

 

[gritsar]

Do you mean they have gone broody and want to hatch some chicks?

 

[mike n deb]

I don't have a rooster so they won't hatch should we leave an egg to sit on

 

[maggiegigs]

I just went through this broody stage. Six weeks my orpington sat on an empty nest. The gals on this forum said NOT to give her eggs or the broodiness will continue.
Options: let her sit on eggs and then switch them for a few DAY OLD CHICKS...ONLY DAY OLD CHICKS.
break the broodiness...I tried everything that was suggested from ice cubes to wire box. Nothing worked.
What did work was when I blocked the egg boxes so she could not sit and the broodiness broke in three days. Now she is eating and drinking again. Sunlight is what breaks the broodiness...not a dark comfy nest. Hope this helps.

 

[farmergirl96]

Sometimes hens try to hatch even if they have no rooster.
If they are not acting broody though, they might have some sort of disease. Every once in a while one of my chickens sits on the floor of the coop for a couple weeks and then eventually dies. I don't know the problem though.
I wish you the best of luck!
--Hydrangea H. Turner