I have around 32 hens, who were all hatched last Spring. I guess I shouldn't be surprised to have broodies, but since the only ones I have had in the past were Silkies, I really didn't expect to be dealing with broody brown Leghorns, Australorps and Polish. I have a Barred Rock in on the action, too. I think there are 5 trying to sit right now. Two Polish are sitting in the same nest box. What's that about?
I was going to have my hubby build a tractor just for Broodies, but I don't think it can hold that many. Can more than one broody share a crate/tractor? At first I was going to seperate the one within the coop in a dog crate but I only have one small dog crate, I was just going to let nature take it's course, but the broodies are getting run off their nests and then move to a different box, so we are getting not where with that. How long will this last? The Barred Rock has been sitting for well over 3 weeks. If I give her eggs now will she keep sitting until they hatch? I have chicks hatching today in the incubator, should I sneak her some of those? They are Polish chicks, so I would really like to give them to the Polish to raise, but I don't know if they have been broody long enough (only a few days). Also, one of the roos in that pen is rather aggressive. Not with people so much, but he kills mice. I worry that he would kill the chicks. Does that happen?
I guess I need to read some more about how to break a hen from being broody. The only methods I read about wither seemed mean or seemed rather complicated and required a special cage. Can anyone direct me to a good thread?
I was going to have my hubby build a tractor just for Broodies, but I don't think it can hold that many. Can more than one broody share a crate/tractor? At first I was going to seperate the one within the coop in a dog crate but I only have one small dog crate, I was just going to let nature take it's course, but the broodies are getting run off their nests and then move to a different box, so we are getting not where with that. How long will this last? The Barred Rock has been sitting for well over 3 weeks. If I give her eggs now will she keep sitting until they hatch? I have chicks hatching today in the incubator, should I sneak her some of those? They are Polish chicks, so I would really like to give them to the Polish to raise, but I don't know if they have been broody long enough (only a few days). Also, one of the roos in that pen is rather aggressive. Not with people so much, but he kills mice. I worry that he would kill the chicks. Does that happen?
I guess I need to read some more about how to break a hen from being broody. The only methods I read about wither seemed mean or seemed rather complicated and required a special cage. Can anyone direct me to a good thread?