Confused Broody?

[viacky]

Hiya,
This is "little fatty"

She's a young Cuckoo Orpington Bantam, and this is her first season of laying. She seems to have got herself into a bit of a pickle, as she's been apparently "broody" for several weeks, but isn't actually sitting on any eggs. She lays in the nest box but doesn't sit on her eggs, other hens lay in her box and she doesn't give these eggs any attention either. She's plucked her tummy, and is showing all of the traditional broody behaviours other than aggression (she's very placid in nature), but isn't actually caring for any eggs! She has lost considerable amounts of weight, and I'm struggling to break this "brood" does anyone have any advice for me, on how to either encourage her to sit on some eggs, or to break her brood.
Thanks for reading

 

[TheTwoRoos]

If you want her to sit on eggs,give her some.

 

[viacky]

If you want her to sit on eggs,give her some.

Hi there, I've tested her by giving her eggs, and yes she sits on them, but doesn't sustain it. If for example another hen lays an egg in her box, and one of her eggs gets dislodged, she doesn't tuck it back under, just continues to sit there.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

Confused,Seperate her and give her eggs,as long as she isn’t sitting on them anf doing her annual turns with them,they should be fine.

 

[HenniesInMyHeart]

If it's been weeks and she's getting too thin, I would say it's time to try and break her. Otherwise, she could starve to death. Please look up how to break a broody hen posts on here. Maybe she's just immature and unsure. I'd let her try again but would break her this time so she can take care of herself.

 

[TheTwoRoos]

The hen definitely isn’t thin,but after reading it’s been weeks she definitely is probably on ends of quitting anyways.

 

[ChickNanny13]

Break her with a wire cage - remove the tray add welded wire (1x2) piece on the wire bottom of the cage, suspend the cage off ground, no bedding just food & water. Loosing weight may compromise her health. The longer broody, the longer it takes in the "broody buster".

A Broody will stop laying, if you stick eggs under her and she don't sit, you may as well break her. Regain her health/weight and if she goes broody agin, see what happens.

 

[viacky]

It just seems like strange behaviour to me. My broodys have always been egg hoarders, and she just isn't interested in them.

The hen definitely isn’t thin,but after reading it’s been weeks she definitely is probably on ends of quitting anyways.

I know on the photo she doesn't look thin, but her breed are heavily feathered. All her volume is feather, on picking her up I can feel that she is thin. Don't let her poofy appearance fool you, I know my own hen

 

[HenniesInMyHeart]

S

It just seems like strange behaviour to me. My broodys have always been egg hoarders, and she just isn't interested in them.


I know on the photo she doesn't look thin, but her breed are heavily feathered. All her volume is feather, on picking her up I can feel that she is thin. Don't let her poofy appearance fool you, I know my own hen

She could just be young/inexperienced. Is this her first broodiness event? I'd break her now but definitely let her try again.

 

[viacky]

S

She could just be young/inexperienced. Is this her first broodiness event? I'd break her now but definitely let her try again.

Yeh it is her first event, so I think she's just not sure what to do. She just sits and sits and sits, but rejects all eggs! She's such a lovely hen that I'll definitely try again with her, but I think for now I'm going to break her x