Broody hen gone soft?

[balkbalkbalkheather]

I have a hen that started to go broody a few weeks ago. I gave her some eggs to set on and hatch and she did great for the first week. Then she kept getting pushed off the nest by other hens and she started to change. She would set on her eggs but would no longer cluck like a broody hen or get puffed up. I decided to put her in her own area away from all of the craziness to see if it would help. Now she still sets on the eggs, but I have to chase her down to go back in her cage every time she goes outside to go to the bathroom. Also, the rooster has been mating her when he gets a chance and she squats down for him. She stays away from the flock for the most part b/c she seems to still be broody in the sense so does not fit in. So when I let her out she goes off and scratches and eats and dusts away from the flock. When I put her back in her cage she goes on her eggs and sets and still holds her broody poop but doesn't seem to be broody other than that. Will she take care of her chicks when they hatch if this behavior continues? They are due in about a week. Has anyone else had a broody hen go from extremely broody to broody gone soft?

 

[50-45-1]

How much time are you giving her to be off the nest? Everything you say your broody is doing, is stuff I see my broodys do for there daily break. I've never timed them but I would guess, sometime they are off a half hour to get all there stuff done.
Yes, dust bathing is critical as stationary broodys are easily susceptible to lice and mite infestations.
I think she is ok, but have brooder box supply's avaliable if she doesn't work out.
I think she will do fine when chicks arrive.
Keep us updated.

 

[balkbalkbalkheather]

Thank you! I hope this is the case. She used to go back on her eggs after 10-20 min but now she won’t unless I go get her. I forgot once and was an hour thankfully I know the chicks are still growing from candling them but I was worried at the time.

 

[Weeg]

Thank you! I hope this is the case. She used to go back on her eggs after 10-20 min but now she won’t unless I go get her. I forgot once and was an hour thankfully I know the chicks are still growing from candling them but I was worried at the time.

Will she go back on if you don't chase her? What breed is she?
Some breeds that are heavily bred for egg laying will start to break partially through the incubation, because being bred for egg laying makes them loose the instinct to brood.

 

[balkbalkbalkheather]

She is a golden lace polish.

 

[balkbalkbalkheather]

She is a golden lace polish.

Today I let her out for quite a while before the sun went down and she was trying to find the eggs in the old coop. Eventhough she was lost I was happy to see she was trying to find her eggs.
When her demeanor started to change a week or so into her broodiness she left her eggs and just wanted to roost with the other chickens. I had to take her and lock her into the nest at night until I moved her away from the other chickens into my pole shed in her own cage. I think all of the other chickens were just too distracting and the other hens pushed her off of her eggs so much.

 

[Weeg]

From Google-
Polish chickens are bred primarily as a show bird, but were originally productive egg layers. Accordingly, Polish rarely go broody and are noted for their white eggs.

Since Polish is a breed that rally goes broody, that is why she is giving up on her eggs.

 

[balkbalkbalkheather]

Interesting. I hope she continues to incubate them until they hatch. She seems to go on them for me fine when I put her back in the cage. Only 6 more days til hatch!

 

[Weeg]

As long as she seems to be committed when she's forced to sit, thats a good sign.
Though I have had quite the fiasco with a bad broody duck. Long story short, I knew nothing about broody ducks at the time, (this situation is actually what made me join) and let 4 ducks share a nest. They fought over the eggs, and broke a lot of eggs that had fully formed ducklings in them. I would find kicked out broken eggs, with full babies in them.
They messed up the humidity because of fighting, and kept retrying for more babies every time the babies didn't hatch.
Like I said, I knew nothing about broody ducks so I can't believe I let them sit that long, but, I did, eventually I joined, and I made them quit brooding. My Mallard who had originally started the nest decided to sit again, I made her a separate area by putting a baby gate around her nesting site. She hatched 3 beautiful babies.

I would prepare for her to quit, or not be committed enough to be able to keep the eggs at proper humidity/temperature during lockdown.
I would build, or buy an incubator, and try to candle at least a few of the eggs before day 18, but all of them if possible so you can toss bad ones. Just be prepared to intervene if you have to.

 

[balkbalkbalkheather]

Ahh she started laying eggs now. She is still sitting on the eggs but I’m going to borrow a friends incubator just in case. 5 more days.