So my 8 and 9 year old daughters were so excited about having baby chicks they can often be heard coaching the Rooster as to which of the hens he should flert with and the occational cheering, as if they, were at a sporting event...."Get on her! get on her! You can do it! Stay up just a little longer!" I though explaining what they would see him do the the hens would be a good thing so they didn't get upset. So after some discussion about appropriate conversation on this subject they have been a bit more descreet.
Anyway, I noticed that one of the hens was laying in my straw bail stack so I grabbed her and put her back in the next boxes. When I did she really puffed up her feathers and ....well...I would say she growled at me and pecked my hand. After viewing a few videos about what a broody hen sounds like I decided this was it. I gave her the eggs that had been laid that morning and she quickly tucked them under her. However, when I went back in the afternoon she had gotten off and never came back to the nest.
After reading some about the possibility of making one go broody and her being at least partly broody. I decided to force the issue a little and keep her protected from the others. So I built this:
I put the netting on top to keep the other chickens off. It is a big dog crate so there is a little room to move around and I have food and water in there. She has been sitting for 2 days now so, all is well.
The only problem I have had at this point is I threw out scratch for the other chickens where she could see it when I opened the nest door and she tried to get out. I had to hold her back. So, I don't do that anymore
.
I do have one question. What type of food should I give her? I gave her cracked corn but she dumped it out. I assume because this is what I usually feed for scratch. I put layer pellets in it for now.
Also, will I need to provide some grit since she is not getting out like the rest of the chickens so she can eat that type of stuff?
Anyway, I noticed that one of the hens was laying in my straw bail stack so I grabbed her and put her back in the next boxes. When I did she really puffed up her feathers and ....well...I would say she growled at me and pecked my hand. After viewing a few videos about what a broody hen sounds like I decided this was it. I gave her the eggs that had been laid that morning and she quickly tucked them under her. However, when I went back in the afternoon she had gotten off and never came back to the nest.
After reading some about the possibility of making one go broody and her being at least partly broody. I decided to force the issue a little and keep her protected from the others. So I built this:
I put the netting on top to keep the other chickens off. It is a big dog crate so there is a little room to move around and I have food and water in there. She has been sitting for 2 days now so, all is well.
The only problem I have had at this point is I threw out scratch for the other chickens where she could see it when I opened the nest door and she tried to get out. I had to hold her back. So, I don't do that anymore
I do have one question. What type of food should I give her? I gave her cracked corn but she dumped it out. I assume because this is what I usually feed for scratch. I put layer pellets in it for now.
Also, will I need to provide some grit since she is not getting out like the rest of the chickens so she can eat that type of stuff?
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