Broody?????

[tigerbarbd]

Good afternoon.

.......We have a 7 month old Barred Rock, that we think is trying to brood. We have 25 Hens in that "coop", all the same age, and have never had a rooster.....are they still going to want to "Brood"?

I didn't think that they would, since we don't have a Rooster. Perhaps I have been misled by our first group of "Red Stars"?

Thanks...........Don

 

[Kittymomma]

She could be. BR's aren't a super broody breed, but it's not as uncommon with them as with the red-stars, leghorns, etc. Having a rooster doesn't make any difference in them going broody, heck half the time they don't even care if there is nothing but shavings in the nestbox they're sitting in.

Do you want to break her, get her some fertile eggs, or graft some day-old chicks onto her?

 

[sourland]

Most production breeds have the broodiness bred out of them- they've been selected for egg laying not broodiness. Some more of your hens may become broody, but I doubt if many will. No, you do not need a rooster for hens to go broody.

 

[canny75]

I, too, have a Barred Rock with a problem. This year-old BR was a great producer until last week. She's now completely stopped laying, yet she won't leave the box unless I lift her out. She does eat and drink when I put her out in the run or let her range. I've given her yogurt and tomatoes to keep her hydrated, too. She and her roommates - all girls - spent the winter under a red heat lamp. so they never took a break from laying.
I've seen no weight gain or discharge from the vent. She IS doing some moulting. My four other girls are fine.
Is this girl becoming egg-bound, or am I seeing some sort of odd, seasonal broodiness? How long does it take for a girl to become egg-bound, and how can I help her if that's the case?

Thanks for your ideas!