Broody hen???????

[DuckDuckPing]

We have a 9 month old hen that appears to have gone broody. She has been sitting on the "nest" (under some bushes) where she always lays her eggs. However we collect our eggs so she has been sitting on no eggs at all for 3 days but refusing to move. She is eating and popping out for a drink and looks in good condition. She has stopped laying eggs though. Also up until recently we had a drake running around with the girls that would often bully and chase her. We now have him housed separately. We do not have a rooster so if she is broody, it would be a waste of time even if she did have eggs under her. So I guess the question I am asking is can a hen go broody and sit without having any eggs under her? And if so, what can be done?

 

[JackE]

I've heard of a broody sitting for weeks to over a month. If you are not looking for her to raise chicks, then it is a good idea to break the broody cycle. It's stressful on the hen to set like that for days or weeks at a time. they don't eat right or get proper exercise. What I do, is to put the broody in a wire cage of some kind and raise it off the ground so as to get air underneath the hen. That is the MOST important thing, get the cage up off the ground so as to get air under the hen. I use an old wire box trap. I put the hen in there and set the cage up on the roost bars in the coop. I put in small food and water containers for the hen. I usually keep the bird in the cage for 3 days or so. If after I let her out, and she goes back on the nest, back in the box for 4 days. But, for the most part, 3 days does the trick.
Jack

 

[DuckDuckPing]

Thanks Jack
but she has no eggs! can she still be broody?

 

[JackE]

Thanks Jack
but she has no eggs! can she still be broody?

Yes, she can. I have two notorious broodys (Two Buff Orps) where I would take away the eggs everyday, and they would continue to sit on the nest. It's a hormonal thing, they have no real control over it, it's like they have voices in their heads telling them to sit, and sit they will. The broody breaker cage is the way to go.
Jack

 

[DuckDuckPing]

OK so we decided to get her some fertile eggs. The guy gave us a mix of 4 duck eggs and 6 chicken eggs. He told us the gestation period is the same for both. Does this sound correct? And is it ok to mix a brood of chooks and ducks? I read that duck eggs take longer to hatch.

 

[Azriel]

I have never hatched duck eggs, but I think they are 28 days and chicken are 21 days. Hop on the duck thread and ask to be sure. I don't see a problem with a hen raising baby ducks other than the ducklings will want to be in the water which will drive the hen crazy.