broody?

[cami]

is my hen broody? she is a silkie so she gets broody a lot i guess. she has been sitting in the nest box constantly for the last 2 days and making these weird cooing/purring sounds whenever i open it. her chest and stomach is bare of feathers but there arent really any feathers in the nest box. she dosent fight when i pick her up she just stays still and coos. she hasn't layed any eggs since she started this behavior. can she raise chicks in winter? it gets to be about 15 F at the coldest here and its usually above freezing.

 

[jennh]

She sounds broody to me. I would break her of it now. do you really want chicks in the dead of winter to worry about? JMHO

Jen

 

[cami]

ok thanks and i probably will i just wanted to know if it was possible cuz i thought they only went broody in the spring

 

[midget_farms]

she can raise chicks in winter - but its much easier for the eggs to chill. She will leave the nest at least 1 x per day to eat & void waste. In the summer the eggs will keep just fine - in winter they can chill.

I tried this just a few weeks ago - with 3 days left my hen changed nests. lost the entire bunch.

 

[cami]

ouch tha really sucks. ok ill wait till it warms up. especially since this will be her first time.