Broody Hen Thread!

Reminds me I should have my water tested - it's been a long time. I do have a filtration system due to high iron and manganese, but it doesn't filter out everything. Thanks for the suggestion.
I am so sorry you are having all those issues with your horse, chickens and trees. Sounds like you are overwhelmed right now. These things will pass and then you will be looking up again.

I would get your water checked asap.

Also, if it were me I would not give my chickens any treats if they were not eating their feed. They need the balanced nutrition in the feed to be healthy. As for breaking your broody hen, I really don't know about the light thing you are referring to, maybe missed that, but separating them for 3 days IMHO is not harmful or mean. It can keep them from sitting too long and able to return back to their flock and normal activities sooner.

Don't get me wrong, I love broody mamas but sometimes enough is enough. I have over 40 chickens right now with 4 broody mamas raising their newly hatched chicks. Four more of my hens want to be mamas again! Enough is enough....they are going to the broody busting coop. I dont put mine in a cage, they are in a shed that we turned into a coop. It has a nice run for them as well. It just seems to work by removing them from the flock. It even has nest boxes in there but they do not like it so they break. This is what works for me.

Hope things get better for you real soon
hugs.gif

Marie
 
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AAAAHHHHHH she quit or something and it's day 18!!!!!!

My broody is in a big enclosed pen with a cat carrier nest inside. Most days I come out and she screeches at me and I let her out. She does her broody thing then gets back on the nest. I let her out this morning and went to work. I came back and she's gone. I was in rush so I could barely look for her, i hope she's ok.

It's day 18 my eggs have been unincubated for at least 4 hours. I flipped on my incubator and tossed them in they were cold to the touch. I hope my incubator doesn't cook them or something crazy since it wasn't all warmed up and stabilized.

Guess I'll know how it goes in a few days.


I got back home and she was sitting on the empty nest. So I gave her the eggs back...two days and counting.
 
I am so sorry you are having all those issues with your horse, chickens and trees. Sounds like you are overwhelmed right now. These things will pass and then you will be looking up again.

I would get your water checked asap.

Also, if it were me I would not give my chickens any treats if they were not eating their feed. They need the balanced nutrition in the feed to be healthy. As for breaking your broody hen, I really don't know about the light thing you are referring to, maybe missed that, but separating them for 3 days IMHO is not harmful or mean. It can keep them from sitting too long and able to return back to their flock and normal activities sooner.

Don't get me wrong, I love broody mamas but sometimes enough is enough. I have over 40 chickens right now with 4 broody mamas raising their newly hatched chicks. Four more of my hens want to be mamas again! Enough is enough....they are going to the broody busting coop. I dont put mine in a cage, they are in a shed that we turned into a coop. It has a nice run for them as well. It just seems to work by removing them from the flock. It even has nest boxes in there but they do not like it so they break. This is what works for me.

Hope things get better for you real soon
hugs.gif

Marie

Thank you for your thoughts. Can't say I feel great. I had to put my rooster down today. He was nine, but quite healthy untill all of this happened. I lost his hen who was also nine in February. She had a tumor on her jaw. I actually had him x-rayed and they found a big mass. Now I'm wondering if it's Marek's - hens aren't laying, or eating, had some diarrhea, roo had the mass, not eating, bumble foot, shaking his head sometimes. I wondered about his vision. The vet opened him up today to investigate. I'll talk with him tomorrow. I wonder if it's related to my little hen's jaw tumor. They are/were? such a sweet little bunch of birds, really cute too. I don't know why I am/was so attached to them. They were a real stress reliever and my little friends I seriously enjoyed hanging out with. It's just sad.

I'll try the separation - I don't have another secure coop, but I could put her in the basement. It's very cool there and I can make her quite comfortable. Unfortunately it may not matter, depending on what the vet finds. My horse as it turns out will likely be fine with daily treatment for about two weeks. What I thought was her tendon, was not. Thank god. And yes, I am getting the water checked ASAP because without the filtration system I DO have lots of manganese and iron. And anyway, it's been way too long since I had it checked. Can't believe I don't do it annually.
 

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