Broody Hens...advice appreciated!

[Christy903]

**Warning this is kind of a long post***
I have BSL hens. I had 8 and noticed one was going broody a week and a half ago. She had plucked all her breast feathers out and stayed in the same box, eggs or not. I banded her leg so I could watch and make sure it was the same hen. I would go out and remover her several times a day. They are free range but I leave the coop/run open during the day. She would always go back to set. When I got up yesterday morning to open up and check fees and water I found her dead. She passed sometime between the mid afternoon and yesterday morning but this horrible heat had already done its damage to her body. Which was still on top of eggs so I lost those eggs. I got one egg yesterday total. Then this morning when I went out I noticed another hen has gone broody(breast feathers gone as well) I kept removing her today and banded her for ID purposes as well. Again today I only got 1 egg. So here's my questions...1. Did the death of the one hen effect the egg laying of the others? 2. Is it normal for hens to go broody back to back like that? 3. I know I can put something in the nest box to deter her from going in there to set but my hens dont lay at the same time every day. They lay all times during the day and I may get one late afternoon so what do I do about that?

 

[Anime2lover]

You could trick them. If you have spare nesting boxes in another part of the coop, block off the ones their going in now and put the spares for them. It is supposed to trick them into laying again. It took only a few days for mine when I did it this year.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Where are you located? If it's that warm, you may want to do something to help cool your chickens. Her passing could be the heat plus they rarely leave the nest, hence less eat/drinking, leaving "broody" poops. They do loose weight, mines got awful thin before I realized the seriousness of it. Hence the "Broody Jail"....

To "break" a broody, removing doesn't work very well but Broody Jail does. I've had my share of unwanted broods. I purchased a wire dog cage from Amazon, removed the tray I put in 1x2 welded wire at the bottom. No bedding, just food & water. Hang or elevate the cage off the ground so air can ventilate under it. Depending on how determined they are, takes about 3+ days in "jail". Oh the cage stays in the coop so she remains part of the flock.

 

[Christy903]

I believe I will get a small cage and try that. I still dont understand why the others won't lay though.

Where are you located? If it's that warm, you may want to do something to help cool your chickens. Her passing could be the heat plus they rarely leave the nest, hence less eat/drinking, leaving "broody" poops. They do loose weight, mines got awful thin before I realized the seriousness of it. Hence the "Broody Jail"....

To "break" a broody, removing doesn't work very well but Broody Jail does. I've had my share of unwanted broods. I purchased a wire dog cage from Amazon, removed the tray I put in 1x2 welded wire at the bottom. No bedding, just food & water. Hang or elevate the cage off the ground so air can ventilate under it. Depending on how determined they are, takes about 3+ days in "jail". Oh the cage stays in the coop so she remains part of the flock.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Possible the heat ... Are you sure they don't have a hidden nest? Did you check for mites/lice? Warm & humid weather brings them out. I had 3 Wyandottes go broody back to back Thinking the warm weather has something to do with it, I maybe wrong.

 

[aart]

this horrible heat

Am guessing they are dehydrated and/or heat stroked.
A dose of Sav-a-Chick electrolytes/vitamins is in order.

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