Broody Hen Thread!

[JRsMom]

Hi everyone, my little Daisy went broody last Friday, she seems determined, and is doing fine. My question right now is, the other 2 hens seem to have stopped laying, haven't seen an egg since Daisy started sitting. They both seem fine, but why would they stop laying? Also, when Daisy came out to eat the other day, they seemed a little mean to her. They got along fine before, is this normal? First timer, can ya tell?

 

[fisherlady]

Hi everyone, my little Daisy went broody last Friday, she seems determined, and is doing fine. My question right now is, the other 2 hens seem to have stopped laying, haven't seen an egg since Daisy started sitting. They both seem fine, but why would they stop laying? Also, when Daisy came out to eat the other day, they seemed a little mean to her. They got along fine before, is this normal? First timer, can ya tell?

They may be laying in her nest to add to her clutch? Double check how many eggs she is on. And they may pick on her more because when a hen is sitting instead of participating in normal flock activity then they loose status in the flock and are more prone to the 'pecking order' bullying activity. It is natural and I wouldn't worry unless it gets severe enough to cause injury or causes her to be unable to eat, drink or dust as she wants. Once she hatches the chicks she will turn into a 'monster mama' and defend herself and the little ones from whatever she needs to!
Just keep an eye on the activities so you can step in if needed.

 

[billyb]

If she doesn't look to be loosing weight or showing signs of being 'droopy' looking I'd say she's managing to sneak off to eat and drink when no one is around to see her. We had a surveilance camera set up on our broody just to be nosey and we were amazed at how often she hopped up for a minute or two and then ran back to the nest.   If there is somewhere convenient to place food and water it won't hurt to do it.   If there is no poo in the nest then she is getting up at some point though.  
 If the other hens aren't scaring her off of the nest or causing eggs to be broken then probably not a big deal as long as you make sure to clearly mark your good hatching eggs so you can remove the extras as the other hens lay them.
 If the other hens seem to be freaking her out or you notice breaking eggs or other problems then you may need to block her nest off from the others with chicken wire or something. But I wouldn't do that if it hasn't become a problem.  Some folks also try moving their broody hens to a location away from the regular nesting boxes, or at least out of a nesting box favored by the other hens to avoid conflicts. Again, I wouldn't worry about moving her now if she hasn't seemed bothered.  Moving, if needed at all, is best done at night and may require penning the broody into her new nesting area a couple of days to prevent her from trying to return to the other nest. 

Ok thanks soo much! Another quick question! Can I move her to another cage with out making her going un-broody? Because that's what I'm thinking I'm going to have to do. Thanks!

-billyb

 

[MorgansManor]

I move my hens to a medium size dog crate wrapped with chicken wire. I try to move later in the evenings. My process. I make a nest and move the eggs then her. After 2 days I open the door, the other girls might sneak a peek but so far no problems. Once the chicks are here I put a chick water and feeder latch the door. It has worked well so far. Good luck!
Debbie

 

[JRsMom]

They may be laying in her nest to add to her clutch? Double check how many eggs she is on. And they may pick on her more because when a hen is sitting instead of participating in normal flock activity then they loose status in the flock and are more prone to the 'pecking order' bullying activity. It is natural and I wouldn't worry unless it gets severe enough to cause injury or causes her to be unable to eat, drink or dust as she wants. Once she hatches the chicks she will turn into a 'monster mama' and defend herself and the little ones from whatever she needs to!
Just keep an eye on the activities so you can step in if needed.

Just went out tonight, she was off the nest, and yes, there are 6 eggs now. Will all 6 eggs be O.K.?
I marked them tonight, so I can gather the other eggs. I'm going to move her before the eggs hatch, maybe I should do it sooner than planned. What would make a good temporary shelter for her and the chicks?
Thanks for all the help

 

[Jharper]

A little kennel probably.

 

[fisherlady]

Just went out tonight, she was off the nest, and yes, there are 6 eggs now. Will all 6 eggs be O.K.?
I marked them tonight, so I can gather the other eggs. I'm going to move her before the eggs hatch, maybe I should do it sooner than planned. What would make a good temporary shelter for her and the chicks?
Thanks for all the help

A little kennel probably.

Yep, a little kennel, like the cat carrier or dog carriers... or even a covered litter box, or any style of box that can make her feel comfortable. If she will need to be closed in for any amount of time then the larger the better so that she has room to stretch. If you do plan to move her then the general concensus is to do it late in the evening when it is dark and then close her in at least overnight and watch her for signs of being willing to stay or wanting to go back to the old nest. Each broody is different, so no set in stone rule of how they will handle a move.

 

[coloradoalice]

I have spent the last 3 days reading this thread from start to finish and I can officially declare that my next chicken "project" will be getting a broody chicken and hatching some chicks! I have a few breeds that tend broody so I'm just going to cross my fingers and bide my time and hope that one day I can show you all broody pictures!

 

[Jharper]

I have spent the last 3 days reading this thread from start to finish and I can officially declare that my next chicken "project" will be getting a broody chicken and hatching some chicks! I have a few breeds that tend broody so I'm just going to cross my fingers and bide my time and hope that one day I can show you all broody pictures!

What breeds do you have?

 

[MorgansManor]

I have a medium size dog kennel that I got at tractor supply it fits perfectly in the coop underneath my nesting boxes. It gives the hen enough room move around comfortably. She also has room to teach the babies how to scratch when she gets them up.