Broody's health

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

We have our first broody!!

would have been happier if she had done this in the spring, but Oh, well.

We were going to leave her in the coop, but the other hens were laying on her - I don't just mean laying their eggs under her I mean laying on top of her! Then they started pulling her neck feathers off. She was in an end box, not their favorite, but one that you needed to pass to get to their favorite so they all stepped on her every day. So after a week we moved her to a broody box.

Its a good size box (thanks DH!) and she has food and water. She has gotten up to poo, and I am pretty sure she is eating and drinking still but she looks dreadful!

Her comb in very pale and flopped over. She has always been a soft combed hen, but she is just flopped. She will puff and trill if you pet her or try to change her water.

I am trusting to nature to do what it should, but are there signs I should look for to see if she is not doing well??

 

[Ridgerunner]

Congratulations!

Check her for mites, especially roost mites. Broody hens are really vulnerable to them and they can drag down their health or even kill them. They are active at night so you need to check for them after dark.

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Mites?? What do they look like?? And how do I treat them?? Is the floppy comb and lethargy normal??

 

[GwenDellAnno]

In my experience, yes. My broody hen only got off the nest 6 - 8 times during her 3 week stint. So... she was eating a lot less than normal. And her comb got really pale. Now that she is off the nest (the eggs hatched two weeks ago) and out foraging with the chicks her comb has reddened right back up and she is also regaining interest in the other chickens. (I think before long she will want to be back in with them.) So... don't worry. As long as she has access to food and water she will be OK.

 

[Ridgerunner]

These sites will probably help you determine if you have a mite problem or not better than anything I can say.

Ohio State – Mites and Lice
http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0018.html

West Virginia – Mites and Lice
http://www.wvu.edu/~exten/infores/pubs/livepoul/pfs23.pdf

 

[I have WHAT in my yard?]

Dag! I am such an idiot. I decided to check on her and picked her up off the nest to check her for infestation. Stupid! We had taken her off the nest to move her to the broody box and she had been fine.

Put her back down and she stepped on and broke an egg!!

Clearly, fertile........

She seems fine.

She still has ten eggs under her.

 

[elmo]

How hot does it get where she's brooding? Is it in the sun or shade?

Do what you can to make it as cool as possible. A floppy comb can be a sign of dehydration, so make sure she has cool water nearby. Chickens don't drink as much if the water is warm.

At midday, I fill up our waterers with refrigerated water so that it stays cool in the shade all afternoon.