First time dealing with a broody hen.

[oxfordethan]

Thanks, y'all. I think she may have been egg bound. Snotty egg that morning and the leathery shell hanging from her vent after death. Anyhoos, Noodle is still sitting on the empty nest as content as ever. We may be moving soon so trying to raise baby chicks isn't feasible right now. I've opened the "egg door" (see link in sig line) so she gets fresh air and sunshine. I shut the human door to the run so the dogs and kids don't get in there and bother her. I know she gets up at least once a day to relieve herself in the run and gets a bite to eat. She doesn't screech as loudly as she did at first when i come around. I guess she is used to me coming out in the am and pm to check on her. It's amazing how boring my backyard is right now without any hens walking around.

 

[Fraunie]

I just had a hen go broody for the first time also, and was reading this thread with great interest and a smile on my face at your sense of humor....until I read about Dumplin. I'm so sorry!! We just moved, and the 4 hens and turkey hen came with the house so this is all new to me!!

Hadn't thought of the new chick aspect!!! And a s luck would have it, I should be getting day old chicks next week, so now I might keep her broody.....

Anyway, sorry oxfordethan for your loss...I had an eggbound hen two weeks ago and was terrified that I might lose her...even though she is about 5-6 and not laying.....she's cute and has a great coo. She passed it as I was gathering my equipment to assist.....thankfully....

 

[GoChick]

Hey Fraunie,

I used a broodie to raise day old chicks before and it worked perfectly, but not all hens will accept chicks, so be prepared to get them back from her if she gets aggressive towards them.
My broodie was in a small cardboard box inside a big dog carrier. I put the chicks under her at night, and went back to check after 15 min or so. She had left the nest! So I put her back in the nest, and closed two flaps of the cardboard, to make it more difficult for her to leave. Next morning, she was the proudest mamma ever. Leave her be for a day or two, she may not want to leave the nest the first day because hens wait for a while to give opportunity for all the eggs to hatch. Sometimes you will see a little head peeking out of her feathers. When she's ready, she will go out with the chicks. Make sure you leave a shallow waterer so the chicks don't drown, buy some grower feed - the mom can eat the same - and enjoy!

Good luck!

 

[oxfordethan]

I felt like I should update this thread in case anyone did a "broody" search... Anyhoos, Noodle laid her first egg since the broodiness set in on Sunday 6/24. I see that I started this on 5/8. so about 6 -7 weeks?! Keep in mind that we lost our other girl, Dumplin' during the broody time. I pretty much just let her do her thing until about 2 weeks ago. I'd take her out of the coop and block off the entrance during the day. I few nights I made her sleep in the run (I'm so mean). About a 10 days ago I went to let her in the coop for the night and she went in and hopped up on the roost insead of getting in the nest.

She then went through a mini molt. Ole girl looked whooped. So, like a said, we got our first egg on Sunday...our second one yesterday...and our third beauty today...and I quote DW, "The b____ is back!" (because she had been so crabby for over a month!) There's a little life back in the yard again. I didn't realize how spoiled I had become eating fresh eggs. Store eggs are so bland.

 

[Maggies Momma]

We have had many broody hens. Through trial and error and much internet searching, I finally found some really good advice that has worked very well for us. We have 36 hens which are free range. When there is a broody in a nest, we take her off the nest and shoo her out the coop door and into the yard. Every time we see any broody on a nest, we continue this method. After a couple of days they stop and all goes back to normal. We also collect eggs every night to avoid chicks.

 

[TJordan]

Hey everyone... I've just started getting eggs today after almost a month of nothing... My girls are only about 7 months old ... Anyway, is it normal for a hen so young to go broody right after her first mild molt?

 

[Jenneh85]

I have a broody hen that goes into this every other month, I have no rooster and don't plan on buying one, thing is I have had this mysterious egg eater, and I finally caught her in the act and lord in behold its the broody hen eating her own egg. I just took her out of the flock and put her in a large dog kennel I will be putting water and food in there for her, but what do i do?

this has been going on for months I don't want her to teach the other gals that munching on eggs is a good habit to do. Please I need some advice, is it time for a chicken dinner or do i just sell her to someone who wants to hatch eggs even though she is a egg eater?

 

[TazGal]

I had an egg eater as well. There is a concern with them teaching the others about it so you need to act. The first time she got into the egg eating I got her away from it for a few days and she seemed to forget and go back to normal. Then she started up again a few months later. I put her in a dog crate in the house hoping to get her egg from her before she dove into it. Didn't work. Then I took advice to take and egg, pin holes in each end and blow it out, then fill it with mustard. First mustard egg put her off for a day, second one she ate the shell and left the mustard. I had fake ceramic eggs on order (they peck them, it hurts, conditions them not to do it anymore) but they took too long to arrive. Finally made roll away nest boxes and problem solved. I get all the eggs. She will still eat one if she finds one outside the box (it happened once). I have little curtains on the box as well which helps so that the odd time when an egg doesn't roll down into the trough, she doesn't really see it. Made them using a rubber maid bin on it's side, divider in the middle, carpet lined paint tray on each side of the divider and a narrow board over the trough part of the tray. Seems to work well. Now however, one of my small bantam hens has gone broody and with the roll away there are no eggs for her to sit on. *sigh* have to keep taking her out of the box. She isn't happy with me when I do it. Hope she gets over it soon!