Broody Hen ?

[monathequeen]

Ok, I have a new question concerning my Broody Hen Ginger.
She has been broody for about 5 days now, not leaving the box. Ginger left the box the other day to eat and one of the other hens took her spot in the nesting box. Ginger didn't return to the box for several hrs. later. At that time, there was no other hen sitting on her eggs so they got cold.
I discarded the eggs wich were very dirty and cleaned out the box.
I didn't think Ginger was going to continue being broody so I didn't continue encouraging her to keep sitting. I collected the eggs for the last few days.
Now, there are four eggs under her and she isn't leaving the box again.
She spent the night on the eggs and hasn't left the box accept to eat this morning. I know that I will have to relocate her and the eggs to an isolated area so she wont be distracted and to keep the other hens away from her eggs.
I have a wooden box 48x48 that I want to keep her in while she is sitting. with straw as bedding on the ground. I will put fencing around the box and some boards around the area so the other hens cannot see her or bother her. She will have plenty of ventilation and privacy. This will be inside the coop so she is safe. Just a seperate corner of the main coop.
I will remove her from the broody-enclusure each morning for 30-40 minutes to eat, drink and defacate. I know I must do this everyday and at the same time each day.

OK, does this sound like I know what I'm doing or is this Not what I should be doing ??
I was told to powder her with anti-lice before I start the sitting process with her..I will switch out the "old eggs" with the "new-eggs"I want to hatch at night when I get the brooder-house ready...I know I must do this soon but now I'am waiting for atleast seven new eggs and they shouldn't be less than 24 hrs. old. What the heck was I thinking that this would be easy ?? Any comments ???
I'am new to this whole thing. I'am nervous and stressing out big time..

 

[chickenfever]

Honestly, I think you are stressing about this too much. Unless you just want different eggs, there is probably nothing wrong with the eggs she is sitting on now. My last broody left her nest for hours at a time, the eggs got cold 2 times that I know of. I thought for sure they wouldn't hatch, all 8 did. I have learned from my recent experience that it is not easy for eggs to die.

OK, this is my opinion:
Yes, you should separate her. This can be a tricky business and you should do it at night. They become attached to their nest boxes and when you move her she may just want to return to her old one, regardless of the eggs. You just may have to put a cover on her new area for about 24Hr until she is comfortable with her new box.
No, I don't think you need to remove her from the nest every day at the same time to do her business and eat and drink. Just put some food and water where she can get to it and make sure she has enough room to get off her nest and go to the bathroom if she needs to.
The nest should be a small box, just big enough for her to be comfortable, it does not need to be huge.
I switched mine to chick starter when they were brooding.


Edited to add the only thing that I dust my chickens with is DE, unless you know she has lice already. I also dust the nest box with DE.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

Don't worry, it sounds like a pretty good plan. I agree, those 4 eggs *should* be all right, you could candle them after a week to see if they're developing. But if you want her to hatch more than 4 chicks, then wait until you've gotten more eggs and then swap them for the original 4 at night. That will give her time to get comfortable in the new nest spot anyway.

And I don't ever remove my broodies from their nests while they're at work, I trust them to know when to take their breaks, and for how long. I haven't yet have one who didn't know how to take care of themselves, along with their egglings. They have a way of knowing how to time their breaks with the outside temperature, the warmer the weather the longer they may stay on break. I don't want to mess with their instincts.

You can pre-dust your hen, with DE or 5% Sevin Dust, before she sets. Or just dust in the bedding & around the nest. I do that more to prevent the fire ants from building under the nest box than for mites. But it's helpful for both.

I wish you & your hen the best of success! We want to see chick pix when she's done!

 

[monathequeen]

what is DE and what does it stand for ? ---and where do I get it ?
also, is sevin dust the same powder you put on plants ?
I have never applied any kind of anti-flea powder on the chicks.
They have a bix box with dirt and peat -moss about 9 inches deep. they take regular dirt-baths and I check them for mites, fleas, ect..and have never had a problem with them. Thanks folks.

 

[Sunny Side Up]

DE is diatomaceous earth, don't know if I spelled that right, a natural substance used for killing insects & parasites. It's essential to get FOOD GRADE because there's another type used in swimming pool filters. Do a search on this forum and/or Google, some folks can find it locally, others must get it mail-order.

Otherwise, I use 5% Sevin Dust, the same stuff used in the garden.

You don't *have to* dust your broody or her nest box, just keep an eye on her in case she gets "company" while she sets. Sometimes they're more vulnerable while they're setting & not getting out to dust bathe as often. And here, the fire ants love to build new mounds under things set on the ground. So I do it routinely, but you don't have to. Even if she gets mites while she's setting, you could easily dust her then.

 

[monathequeen]

Thanks sunny-side-up
I will take some caution when using this sevin dust. I have it in my shed for plants. I decided to leave the hen in the nesting box for the time being.It is not on the ground but raised up from the floor. She seems content in there and she was up this morning eating and drinking and then back in the box. She was out for about 45 min. I did however, have to kick the RR out of her box. She was sitting on her eggs. As soon as the RR was taken out, Ginger went back in and has been there all day.
I don't know if it's up-setting Ginger when there's another hen on her eggs because she goes right back to her eggs.
Strange birds I must say. I'm wonderinf if I should seperate her. The only reason so far is I don't have another place to put her right now. I guess we will see what happens but like I said, I'am just leaving her be right now. Thanks again.
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