Hen went missing and broody buff orp question.

[Jasper_899]

I had a buff orp hen go missing a few weeks ago. She is only about 8 months old and was a great layer, I always got one egg from her everyday. Then just one night she never came home with the other hens after free ranging. My rooster didn't even seem concerned, but she was lower on the pecking order. She never showed any signs of being sick or anything, and I have never had a hen go missing before. Is it possible she could have gone broody somewhere? I know her parents live on a farm and they always go broody there.
I really miss her and I hope she comes home eventually. There are not many predators around where I live, there is a hawk, but he only swoops at my silkies (have them safely penned now) And my dog went after him one day and I haven't seen him since. Plus the chickens hang out in our barn and in the woods a lot which would make it harder for him to get them.

And I have a buff orp hen who is older and went broody this spring and hatched 3 chicks. Well they are almost grown up now and she wants to hatch more. I do not need anymore right now and there is a fair show in about 2 half weeks and I want to enter her, but I wanted to know if you can enter broody hens. She is not aggressive, probably the sweetest broody hen. Then after the fair I might let her sit on some eggs. I have tried to break her, but nothing works. I even blocked all the nests that she loves. She takes lots of little breaks to eat and drink so she is very healthy. And she has been broody for about 2 weeks so far.

Thanks ^_^

 

[Cloverleaf Farm]

I hate to tell you, but if you have woods, you have predators. You probably just don't see them.

You can try breaking your broody by putting her in a wire bottom cage, off the ground so that the air hits her bottom. That's the only thing I've heard of working. The other option is to give her a couple of eggs, let her sit on them for a few days, and then replace them with day old hatchlings (maybe someone has 1 or 2 that they'd let you borrow for a few days, or get them from a feed store and then sell them). Let her have her chicks for a few days and then take them away, she won't miss them long, I promise...especially if you give her some corn or something when you take them (and put her back in with the others right away). Good luck to you!