Broody Hen?

[Crystal Chick]

Hi there! I have only had my chicken for a few months. She just started laying eggs for me in February. I am not sure how old she is because she just flew into my father-in-law's yard and when we couldn't find her owner, we built her a coop and kept her. She is very skiddish but seems happy. Well, on April 1st she decided to start sitting on her egg. I had read about brooding chickens but this is my first experience with one. I decided to let her brood but I took the egg away and gave her a rock. She seems content to sit on the rock both day and night. She only gets off once a day to poop and eat a little. She hasn't been eating as much as she usually does. I check on her every day. I talk to her and change her water dish. But I am a little worried that she is not eating enough. Is that normal? What should I look for if she is sick? I am a new chicken mama.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

If you aren't going to let her raise chicks, I would try and break her broodiness. It is unhealthy for a hen to brood unnecessarily because they can loose a lot of weight. Separate her from the nesting boxes if possible.

 

[Crystal Chick]

If you aren't going to let her raise chicks, I would try and break her broodiness. It is unhealthy for a hen to brood unnecessarily because they can loose a lot of weight. Separate her from the nesting boxes if possible.

Oh ok. I didn't know it was unhealthy for her. I was going to watch her to see if her will stay on the nest the full 21 days which she is on day 16 so she may stay there. Then the next time she goes into a brood I would put some fertilized eggs under her. She does seem to be losing weight though.

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Quote: If you do plan to have her hatch eggs, then it is fine. But it would be useless for her body to cope with broodiness and then not hatch chicks! Make sure food and water are close by so that she feels safe leaving the nest.

 

[Crystal Chick]

Ok thanks for the advice. We took her off the nest today. She was SO MAD! LOL! I have never seen her so upset, but she seems better now.