Broody Hen Thread!

[sweetmsmisty98]

I would treat her now and transfer her, eggs, and chick to new bedding. The lice can kill new chicks quicker than anything else.

I am nervous that she won't lay back on her eggs? Should I just remove the now 2 babies and put the rest of the eggs in the bator? Will DE work for killing lice? And can I add it to the babies?

 

[the43k]

we are in the second 'broody' episode from one of our buff orpingtons....sigh....we don't have a rooster, so there is no chance for the eggs to hatch, but she doesn't know that! We collect the eggs during the day so she is just sitting on litter. I remove her from the nest as many time as I can, but who knows how long it will take to break her. the first time she went broody, it took 6 weeks!

my favorite part is when I open the nest box door and she puffs up and makes the horrible shrieking sound at me.

I'll try to get a pic of her all puffed up tomorrow!

 

[RickaRae]

I am so sorry you are having problems like this early in your chicken keeping experience. My mantra is, if it don't work do it different next time. We all make lots of mistakes with our birds. I like your idea to use a broody vis a vi an incubator. That works for me.
So, keep at it, try new things, and good luck.

Would you believe we got another d'Anver today & she's broody! We even moved her & so far so good! My luck may hold for a broody for my eggs coming this week! Fingers crossed! (I'm still readying the incubator!!!!)

 

[Lady of McCamley]

I am nervous that she won't lay back on her eggs? Should I just remove the now 2 babies and put the rest of the eggs in the bator? Will DE work for killing lice? And can I add it to the babies?

I would recommend Sevin dust or Poultry dust with an infestation...at best DE can only discourage but cannot eradicate an infestation.

I am pretty sure that either can be used for young chicks, but read the label. You will also have to treat the nest and your other birds as lice is passed from one bird to another.

You can try dusting the hen, the nest, and the babies and then trying to put them all back in...but with a lice infection chances are you've got some heavy cleaning to do which may completely disrupt your broody.

I guess try it and see if it works but be prepared to bring the chicks into the brooder and the eggs into the incubator....I would guess the dust would not be a great thing for the eggs if they are close to hatching.
Lady of McCamley

 

[sweetmsmisty98]

I would recommend Sevin dust or Poultry dust with an infestation...at best DE can only discourage but cannot eradicate an infestation.

I am pretty sure that either can be used for young chicks, but read the label. You will also have to treat the nest and your other birds as lice is passed from one bird to another.

You can try dusting the hen, the nest, and the babies and then trying to put them all back in...but with a lice infection chances are you've got some heavy cleaning to do which may completely disrupt your broody.

I guess try it and see if it works but be prepared to bring the chicks into the brooder and the eggs into the incubator....I would guess the dust would not be a great thing for the eggs if they are close to hatching.
Lady of McCamley

Thank you. I am going to feel terrible if I have to take kids away. She has worked so hard . But I don't want sick or dead babies and I am going to use poultry dust. I want these bugs gone

 

[elsfieldchickens]

This is Ellie Mae. She's currently sitting on 5 Call Duck eggs

hope she hatches them

 

[20736]

Misty-
Chickens imprint quickly and early. They should recognize each other when you reunite them.
Good Luck with the bugs. I hate 'em.

 

[pginsber]

My first experience with Broodys--it's nerve wracking!
Our pullet was broody for weeks and we couldn't snap her out of it, so we gave her three fertilized eggs about 9 days ago. I candeled the eggs on day 7. To my untrained eye, it looked as though nothing was growing inside.
So, if the eggs really aren't progressing, should I take them away from her or let her keep them until they stink?
We got those 3 eggs from a fellow BYC'r, and don't have any others to give her. Should I give her more to sit on?
Recommendations are appreciated

 

[foreverlearning]

I just figured out the hard way that the broody needs more food quicker. I took her off FF two days ago as she was not eating enough so it would dry on her. Yesterday she did fine with dry feed in a chick feeder. She is only eating once a day now. Today I was watching her and she jumped up on the edge of the brooder and started yelling at me. Well, I backed up thinking she thought I was too close. No, she jumped back down, bit her feeder and shook her head making it fly across the brooder box. I got her a wide mouth tuberware bowl and filled it with the same feed and she was fine from there. When they want something they really want it now!

 

[angelbrenn]

Lol fussy hen