California - Northern

[ronott1]

If there is anything more broody than a Silkie I don't know what it is. Our Silkies go broody at the drop of a hat or the sight of someone else's egg in the nestbox. Silkies are born broodies and nothing can stop it and I personally don't want to. I let the Silkies set on an "empty" nest as many days/weeks as they want. It's a natural process that gives their bodies a rest from laying so many eggs (Silkies are prolific layers for a bantam when not broody and their eggs are the largest size of the bantam breeds). When the broody has given up sitting on an empty nest in a few days or few weeks, she returns to the flock refreshed and normal again. The only thing I do when a hen goes broody is to make sure to take her out of the nestbox a couple times a day to eat/drink/dust-bathe/exercise before she rushes back to her empty nest. I put the Silkie at the farthest end of the yard so that as she rushes back to her nest she stops to eat/drink a little, maybe take a dust-bathe, and exercise/run back to her nest on the other side of the yard. Some organic Manna Pro Poultry Protector spraying on the hen and on the nest cracks/crevices/corners (mites/lice love warm brooding places) is good parasite preventative. I've also noticed that whenever a hen is molting she has less appetite, is more reclusive or stand-offish, and might retreat to a nestbox for privacy since she is so miserable. I have to determine if a hen is being broody or just wants to be "alone" while molting.

I have two broody now on nest boxes--One has been sitting in there so 5 weeks so far.

Sitting on an empty nest for more than 21 days is not natural though. They will wind up with organ damage because they do not eat or drink enough--They also hold there poo for a day usually. Sitting in the nest and not dust bathing can lead mites and lice like you posted.

I will break them soon. I have injured pullets in the cages currently or I would have moved her sooner. She is starting to get very skinny.

 

[pjnbill22]

I have two broody now on nest boxes--One has been sitting in there so 5 weeks so far.

Sitting on an empty nest for more than 21 days is not natural though. They will wind up with organ damage because they do not eat or drink enough--They also hold there poo for a day usually. Sitting in the nest and not dust bathing can lead mites and lice like you posted.

I will break them soon. I have injured pullets in the cages currently or I would have moved her sooner. She is starting to get very skinny.

One of our EEs hatched some eggs for us at the end of May, and has gone broody again a few days ago, after going back to laying for only a week! She looks so small now compared to her sister! We had eggs in the incubator that were on day 19-20, so we stuck a dozen under her. She's hatched one, and this morning we stuck 3 under her that hatched in the bator yesterday. So far, so good. It's so hot here, I'd hate to have her sit too long and waste away to nothing.
If she goes broody again soon, we're probably going to have to try the frozen water bottle method to break her.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

One of our EEs hatched some eggs for us at the end of May, and has gone broody again a few days ago, after going back to laying for only a week! She looks so small now compared to her sister! We had eggs in the incubator that were on day 19-20, so we stuck a dozen under her. She's hatched one, and this morning we stuck 3 under her that hatched in the bator yesterday. So far, so good. It's so hot here, I'd hate to have her sit too long and waste away to nothing.
If she goes broody again soon, we're probably going to have to try the frozen water bottle method to break her.

Have you tried giving her chicks instead of eggs. Might speed up the process a bit.

 

[pjnbill22]

We didn't have any young enough to give her last time, but we did switch out some of her nonviable eggs for some that had pipped after she had been sitting for 22 days and hatching only 2. She raised eleven chicks, and just left their pen 2-3 weeks ago.

Have you tried giving her chicks instead of eggs. Might speed up the process a bit.

We didn't have any chicks young enough to give her last time, until she had sat for 22 days and only hatched 2. Then we traded out her unhatched (nonviable) eggs for the rest of the ones in the bator that were already starting to pip. It worked fantastically! She raised eleven chicks for us (BLRW, EE, OE, Langshan and Australorp). She just left those chicks 2 weeks ago. Some of our 18 week old EE pullets look way bigger than her now.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

We didn't have any young enough to give her last time, but we did switch out some of her nonviable eggs for some that had pipped after she had been sitting for 22 days and hatching only 2. She raised eleven chicks, and just left their pen 2-3 weeks ago.
We didn't have any chicks young enough to give her last time, until she had sat for 22 days and only hatched 2. Then we traded out her unhatched (nonviable) eggs for the rest of the ones in the bator that were already starting to pip. It worked fantastically! She raised eleven chicks for us (BLRW, EE, OE, Langshan and Australorp). She just left those chicks 2 weeks ago. Some of our 18 week old EE pullets look way bigger than her now.

Aww what a good mama.. hopefully she comes out of it soon so she can catch up on her health again.

 

[caychris]

I have a pita pinta who has been broody for a while now but she will only stay on the nest if Its in the coop. Ive tried to separate her several times now and put her in my broody cage or a dog crate she will have none of it.

I had a delaware broody that was a terrible sitter as well she would get off the nest frequently but enough to have eggs develop but she crushed a couple and the one that was developing she cracked before hatch and eventually crushed the chick. I got her some chicks and she has been a decent mama but 2 of her chicks died (I think they were crushed but not by her) He has stuck with the chicks since the 20th of May and still puts them to bed with her and calls them to food. My other broody, a Barred Holland, abandoned her chicks after 4 weeks. (Same age as the delawares chicks) They both had feed store chicks but the Barred Holland was the more protective mother for the 4 weeks. The Delaware seems a casual mother but still mothers her chicks at night and occasionally throughout the day.

 

[pjnbill22]

Well that was short-lived!
Bill went out early this morning to find 6 chicks doing well, but the remaining eggs had been pushed away during the night and were ice cold. So, @jenniferlamar70 I guess it was actually chicks the mama EE wanted, not eggs. Oh well. We have 2 white Marans, 2 Brahama, 1 CLB x Cuckoo Marans mix, and 1 CLB x BLH. That's a nice little brood for Miss Ruby Begonia for now.

 

[caychris]

Well that was short-lived!
Bill went out early this morning to find 6 chicks doing well, but the remaining eggs had been pushed away during the night and were ice cold. So, @jenniferlamar70 I guess it was actually chicks the mama EE wanted, not eggs. Oh well. We have 2 white Marans, 2 Brahama, 1 CLB x Cuckoo Marans mix, and 1 CLB x BLH. That's a nice little brood for Miss Ruby Begonia for now.

Are the 2 little ones you got from me still doing well have the been integrated yet?

 

[pjnbill22]

Are the 2 little ones you got from me still doing well have the been integrated yet?

They are doing great. They integrated with several birds of the same age, but still stayed together at all times. There are 6 brown turkeys in that pen- seems odd, but both the turkeys and the chickens went bonkers when we tried to separate them the first time. Last week, we let all of the chickens out of that pen again. Those two "Delta Birds", as we call them, just weren't having it. They stayed against the pen chatting with the turkeys, and the turkeys stayed right next to them. We gave in. They are back in with the turkeys again, and everyone is happy. We're going to try again next weekend, but since they all get along, I guess it's not hurting anything.

 

[jenniferlamar70]

Well that was short-lived!
Bill went out early this morning to find 6 chicks doing well, but the remaining eggs had been pushed away during the night and were ice cold. So, @jenniferlamar70 I guess it was actually chicks the mama EE wanted, not eggs. Oh well. We have 2 white Marans, 2 Brahama, 1 CLB x Cuckoo Marans mix, and 1 CLB x BLH. That's a nice little brood for Miss Ruby Begonia for now.

Sucks about the eggs but Adleast now you know what she wants lol.