broody and bald

[klohman]

Hey all, I have quite the broody austral or on my hands. We have been physically removing her from the box to encourage her to go with the rest of the flock but she keeps returning. My biggest concern though, is that her belly is bald. It looks like it has molted and she has some red and sore spots on the skin. But there are no feathers in the box she's been brooding in. It is not frok another chicken cause its just feathers. Could these be bed sores (er, box sores?). Should I be concerned.

 

[GitaBooks]

No need to worry. Broody hens develop a broody patch on their bellies to help keep their eggs warm and moist.

If you don't want her going broody you can try breaking her up in a crate without bedding (most people suggest a wire floor). This is stressful on them, but it does work, and prevent unwanted chicks.

Best of luck!

 

[klohman]

No need to worry. Broody hens develop a broody patch on their bellies to help keep their eggs warm and moist.

If you don't want her going broody you can try breaking her up in a crate without bedding (most people suggest a wire floor). This is stressful on them, but it does work, and prevent unwanted chicks.

Best of luck!

The problem is we have no roosters so she is going to be trying to hatch them for a looong time. She keeps going to the same box, would it be a good idea to block that box?

 

[GitaBooks]

You could try it, but she might just try going broody on the ground or in a different box.