broody hen with no eggs

[johunter103]

Hi,

Can any one offer advice my chicken has been laying since March. For the past week she has been sitting on her eggs and we don't have a cockerel. I have followed advice and kept taking her off and she had a whole day out of the nesting box. She has been in the nesting box for a day and hasn't laid an egg for three days. I have lifted her up but there is no eggs. She looks healthy is there anything I can do? She used to lay eggs every day worried that something is wrong with her.
Thanks Jo

 

[DAFox]

Welcome to ByC!
A Broody hen tipically won't lay eggs. She is fine. Keep her off the nest for awhile until she is definitely not broody. A rabbit cage or something similar should work. She may take alittle while to start laying.
Dale-Ann

 

[farmgirl77]

I have a bantam cochin, Lucy, who laid about a dozen tiny eggs this spring and then promply went broody and has been broody for WEEKS. I can't get her to give it up, so I wish you luck! I take her with me went I garden and she just snuggles down where ever I put her and makes her mommy clucking sound. I don't have any sort of a wire cage. Hope you can break yours faster. Lucy's is getting awful thin despite my efforts.

 

[CMV]

Quote:
Have you tried letting her set on ice cubes? Place a bag of ice in her nesting box. Sometimes that is enough to break the cycle if you are vigilant and replace the ice as it melts. Lucy will not want to set on the cold ice. Something about cold to the nether regions discourages the broodiness and that why folks use the wire bottomed cages. Without a wire bottomed cage, ice is your next best bet.

Good luck with Lucy.

 

[johunter103]

Thank you for the advice. I have shut the door to her nesting house and if she is still broody will try the rabbit hutch

 

[sookiesmom]

I just read all these posts this morning out of curiosity & when I went to check on my silkie hen this morning, saw she was doing the same thing. I'm new to all of this so I'm still learning. She's been laying eggs almost every day for about a month & part of yesterday & today she's been sitting in the nest box, with no eggs. I'm assuming that's broody? Amazing how nature is. If it is broody, why do they do it if there's no eggs? Thanks for any info!!!

 

[sookiesmom]

Sorry for the double post.

 

[SunnyChic]

Quote:
Wow, this is a great idea!