Broody Hen Troubles

[Chickenlover24333]

Hi there. About a month ago my Serama hen, Pixie, went broody on some eggs. She successfully hatched one chick, Beabop. After Beabop was walking around Pixie started to be aggressive towards my Silkie bantam hen. At this time I had about a dozen chicks.As soon as they were old enough to be in a coop of their own I put them in a small coop with a run. I decided to try putting Pixie and Beabop in with the chicks, and It worked! Pixie started sleeping with Beabop underneath of her, but then a week later with her underneath her wing. For the past three days Pixie has been sitting and sleeping in a small nest, with no eggs, acting very broody while Beabop has been sleeping on the perch with the other chicks.
Is Pixie going broody again or this normal for a broody hen after her chick/chicks are old enough? If she is broody should I let her sit or would that be too hard on her? I have never had a broody hen before. I'm open to any advice and opinions. Thanks.

 

[azygous]

You don't mention how long it's been since Beabob was hatched. Time frame is a significant factor. Broody hormones don't just click off once eggs hatch at 21 days. They remain in effect, although altered to accommodate the rearing of chicks, for a good month or more after hatch.

So Pixie is probably still milking her original broody hormones, not a new set. You should be able to discourage her by removing her from the nest and getting her interested in the new chicks.

 

[Chickenlover24333]

Pixie started sitting on May 20 and hatched Beabop on June 9. Thank you so much.

 

[aart]

Pixie started sitting on May 20 and hatched Beabop on June 9. Thank you so much.

Sounds like she gone broody again.
You should know the signs, but....

Is she on nest most the day and all night?
When you pull her out of nest and put her on the ground, does she flatten right back out into a fluffy screeching pancake?
Does she walk around making a low cluckcluckcluckcluckcluck(ticking bomb) sound on her way back to the nest?
If so, then she is probably broody and you'll have to decide how to manage it.

Not sure I'd let her set again so soon.

 

[Chickenlover24333]

Yes! That is exactly what she is doing. Thank you so much for all your help. I am going to discourage her broodiness.

 

[aart]

I am going to discourage her broodiness.

If you don't want her to hatch out chicks, best to break her broodiness promptly.

My experience goes about like this: After her setting for 3 days and nights in the nest (or as soon as I know they are broody), I put her in a wire dog crate (24"L x 18"W x 21"H) with smaller wire on the bottom but no bedding, set up on a couple of 4x4's right in the coop or run with feed and water.

I used to let them out a couple times a day, but now just once a day in the evening(you don't have to) and she would go out into the run, drop a huge turd, race around running, take a vigorous dust bath then head back to the nest... at which point I put her back in the crate. Each time her outings would lengthen a bit, eating, drinking and scratching more and on the 3rd afternoon she stayed out of the nest and went to roost that evening...event over, back to normal tho she didn't lay for another week or two. Or take her out of crate daily very near roosting time(30-60 mins) if she goes to roost great, if she goes to nest put her back in crate.

Chunk of 2x4 for a 'roost' was added to crate floor after pic was taken.

 

[Chickenlover24333]

Ok, I will be sure to try this method. Thank you so much

 

[Lavender13]

Two hens been sitting for awhile they get off the nest to do there thing then sits again on nest. They haven't hatch anything I'm wondering if I'm doing the wrong thing by getting rid of eggs when I haven't seen them on the same nest. Do I let them sit and leave the eggs alone even when they feel cold? I'm afraid to keep any eggs in the nests because she sits in different nesting box.