Broody hen help,please

[redhen]

Hello, i have a broody silkie that i can NOT break! my concern is that she is loosing weight..what do i do for her? someone metioned a wire cage method...i dont think i have a cage that is just wire....although,i can go to TSC and pick up a wire rabbit cage kit,...also, do i leave the cage in the coop? i am afraid if i take her away from the flock, i will have a hard time re-introducing her back in....

 

[ThePolishPrincess]

Hmm...I had that trouble once. What I did was get a small dog crate, and a plastic bin. I turned the bin over so that the bottom was on the top. I put the cage on top of it and turned it in a direction where she had no sight of the nests. There was, however, hay on the ground, that I couldn't help but let her see. I covered the majority of the cage that she really didn't need to see with newspaper and cardboard. I put her in the cage with only food, water, and some large rocks to keep her from tipping things over. I also added a rag (old towel) to the bottom so she wouldn't get cold. No hay in there at all. She spent a few days pacing but after a while, she settled down. I left one side un-covered so she could see the other chooks.

Now, this was the problem I had. She was there for over a week, but never layed an egg! After a while, I got tired of watching her bored, with no communication to her kind. I let her loose and she didn't go back in the nest. After a few weeks of her finding her place in the flock, the roosters claimed her and see went back to normal again. I think we may have even gotten a few eggs from her after a while. Hard to tell.

You have to watch for signs. Broodies will make those wierd grunting sound when they are still broody. They will settle less, but at times when they are still just sitting around in that trance-like state, they are still broody.

They can go either way. My hen was one tought Brahma! I had to brake her more than once and never got an egg out of her while she was in isolation, but it was less stressful when I left her with the group.

Remember, scientists speculate a chicken doesn't forget another chicken if they have been seperated for less than two weeks.

 

[enola]

When a chicken is truly in the mindset to be broody, she is not going to lay any more eggs. She has laid her "clutch" of eggs and now she wants them to hatch.

 

[Southernbelle]

I've never been able to break a Silkie, so I usually just give them eggs. I have 3 broodies sitting on eggs right now. They don't expend much energy when they're sitting on the nest, so they don't eat much. I haven't noticed mine losing weight.

 

[redhen]

my silkie seems to be getting thinner, and MAN!..is she grumpy! she used to be my sweetest girl..she actually pecked someone the other day when they went to hold her....

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

I'm with Southernbelle. My silkies alwyas win the Broody War. They are more stubborn than I. Brats.
On the plus side I now have adorable little cheeps running around the yard and my silkies are insanely happy.

Good luck!

 

[redhen]

Quote:
i wish it were warm out here! i would let her sit on some eggs...

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

I have some nice polished stone eggs that I use to prevent egg eating. (tho that doesnt seem to work) But I let the broodies have those stone eggs, and after a month or so of sitting on them, they eventually give up. I have never seen or heard of a broody starving herself to death. They may loose weight, but not enuff to seriously harm her!

Let her have some stone eggs, that will keep her happy, and you can take any other eggs she 'collects' out from under her, and she wont care much!

I have 2 broodies now that gather any eggs laid near them, and I collect from them every day! but they get to keep thier stones.

Good Luck.

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

My dorky silkies both hatched out broods with temps in the 20s or less.

I brought group two in the house to hatch as the temps were in the single digits. Both sets have done great! Both silkie mamas are pleased as pie.
How cold is it there?

 

[redhen]

Quote:
hi..its 34 degrees right now....i wonder if i put her in a small dog crate with some eggs in there..and just feed/water/clean daily....because if i let her hatch in the coop un-protected with my big girls...wont they kill her babies or something? sorry, i am new to this...she is my fist broody..