help please

[13chooks]

I have an australorp chook thats broody. The bantie rooster has been getting at her. Now she wantsw to sit on eggs. Not all her own. How do I get her out of sitting on the eggs. Do I
keep taking the eggs from under her
allow her to sit.
If allowing her to sit how does she get food and water into her.
I think the other birds that lay in the box are laying on top of her and she lets them roll down and tucks them under. They have 4 other places to lay so its not like they are short of space. I have no idea. This is not my first time with chooks but it is my first tijme with hens and roosters. Have only ever bought hens before. yesterday I checked under her and there were 4eggs under her and this morning there are 7. or 8.all different colours and sizes. Please help. Im just stuck.

 

[rodriguezpoultry]

I usually separate the hen. If you are worried, you can "block" off that nest best for a few days until the other hens realize there are other nest boxes.

She will allow them to lay eggs on top of her and will put them under her. I would mark the eggs you intend for her to sit on. If you want her to sit, then keep some eggs under her. If not, just take the eggs out and put her in a different area. Maybe even a dog crate or something. She will not lay until after she is done being broody.

Now, if you want her to sit, just mark the eggs you want her to sit on. You can provide a small amount of feed and water to her if you'd like, but usually she will just jump out and eat, drink and take a GIANT poop.

It is an awful poop. You will smell it for at least 30 minutes if you are out there working in the barn. If you feed her in the nest box, she more than likely will not leave in order to have this poop and will do it near the eggs. At which point, you will need to clean it.

 

[Judy]

Good advice. If you do decide to let her try to hatch some chicks, it's best to start over and collect some yourself for a few days, say on your kitchen counter, then mark them and put them under her all at once. That way they will hatch more or less at once -- and she won't abandon any half grown chicks to take care of her new chicks.

A setting hen will get up usually once a day and leave the eggs for a little while to eat, get a little exercise -- and poop, for sure. lol. They do need a little space for that exercise. It's great fun to have a hen hatch and raise chicks. They need no help, no heat lamp -- nothing. Just feed everyone something besides layer feed for a couple of months, so the chicks don't get too much calcium.

 

[iluvpeeps]

The same thing has happened to me lately too. I have a little hen who is really broody and wants to hatch her eggs. I am going to let her hatch the ones under her right now but this will be the only time. She will get off of the eggs whenever she is hungry, thirsty, or needs to poop so I wouldn't worry about that. The eggs that have been under her for a day are still good. My hen that's been sitting on the eggs takes the eggs of the other chickens but I marked the ones that she's going to hatch so, at the end of the day I take the eggs under her that aren't marked. If you want to make her stop being broody I've heard that you can keep her in a wire cage for a few days.