Hello,
I just need some help with a hen that I suspect is broody. She's an 9 month old Welsummer. She becomes very aggressive and puffs up when I try to get to the nesting box and she will do nothing but sit on the eggs all day. I think she may have gone broody around 3 weeks ago but we were able to break that by locking her out of the nesting box. I've since been overseas and she's back at it.
I'm having a couple of issues as the other chickens are making a lot of noise about not being able to get in the nesting box (I don't blame them at all) and my Welsummer is becoming very malnourished. She barely eats and I'm concerned with how much weight she has lost. I have put her into a broody cage to try and stop her. I have read that they should have no bedding but I am concerned as she has a very prominent breast bone as a result losing a lot of weight with her suspected brooding, so I have given her some straw for the time being. It is quite red and I don't want her bone to hit the floor when she is resting. Should I remove the bedding and am I doing the right thing with the brooding cage?
Also I was wondering the best ways to help her gain weight and stay healthy. I have given her some tuna and a cooked egg but was unsure of other things I should be trying to give her. My uncle suggested vitamin B to help her perk up but I haven't been able to find anything to validate this.
I have only ever owned hybrid breeds in the past and so have never experienced this and I don't want my hen to become unwell. She has recently been wormed and dusted and I haven't seen any signs of mites, fleas or worms.
Thanks in advance,
Ebony
I just need some help with a hen that I suspect is broody. She's an 9 month old Welsummer. She becomes very aggressive and puffs up when I try to get to the nesting box and she will do nothing but sit on the eggs all day. I think she may have gone broody around 3 weeks ago but we were able to break that by locking her out of the nesting box. I've since been overseas and she's back at it.
I'm having a couple of issues as the other chickens are making a lot of noise about not being able to get in the nesting box (I don't blame them at all) and my Welsummer is becoming very malnourished. She barely eats and I'm concerned with how much weight she has lost. I have put her into a broody cage to try and stop her. I have read that they should have no bedding but I am concerned as she has a very prominent breast bone as a result losing a lot of weight with her suspected brooding, so I have given her some straw for the time being. It is quite red and I don't want her bone to hit the floor when she is resting. Should I remove the bedding and am I doing the right thing with the brooding cage?
Also I was wondering the best ways to help her gain weight and stay healthy. I have given her some tuna and a cooked egg but was unsure of other things I should be trying to give her. My uncle suggested vitamin B to help her perk up but I haven't been able to find anything to validate this.
I have only ever owned hybrid breeds in the past and so have never experienced this and I don't want my hen to become unwell. She has recently been wormed and dusted and I haven't seen any signs of mites, fleas or worms.
Thanks in advance,
Ebony