My lovely Jill is sick! I don't know what's wrong??

[Terri O]

I went to a seminar the last weekend and the man said that the hen actually does develop a "fever" when she is broody and you can stop it in it's tracks by giving her a couple regular aspiring to drop the fever. This amazed me but does make sense. If you really dont want any chicks you could try it. Terri O

 

[louis73]

How would that work? Do I just shove them down her throat? I am happy to get the chicks but finding it hard to get true day olds. Does anyone know if she will reject week old chicks even if I slip them in under cover of darkness??

 

[gameboygal12]

haha MY name is Jill!

thanks for naming a chicken after me! lol jk but I think she will take chicks even if they are a week old or so. but you have to slip them under her at night when she's not looking or they will freak out! (learned that the hard way)

 

[Chickengal505]

OOOOOOOOHHHHH Please let her take them...

 

[scubaforlife]

I have a silkie that gets extra broody. I pull her out of the box and give her treats in the yard, far from the coop. It takes a few days to break it. Basically they will lay a clutch, in nature, and set on them until their body tells them either the eggs are bad or the chicks are running around. She isn't sick, its natural.

 

[rcentner]

I wasn't planning on separating my broody from the other hens, but on the 2nd and 3rd day when the chicks were more mobile, the other hens started pecking at them. Mom wasn't protecting them from the other hens and just let them get pecked at. This bothered me, but I figured they would work it out. I came home from work that day to a dead chick, looked healthy and was running around that morning, it didn't even look like it had been pecked at. I have wondered ever since then if one of the other hens killed it, maybe not. But I took action and moved her out after I saw one of the hens grab a chick real hard and swing it around, not worth the worry.
If you really want to break her broody and not separate her, try other methods 1st before just throwing some chicks in the mix. Well, that's what I would do....no expert here though

 

[louis73]

I put the chicks last night. I have been in this morning to check on them and she is still in the hen house with them but she is sitting outside of the nesting box. The head hen Jackie came in to have a sticky beak and the two chicks were nearby Jill and Jill clucked a lot and they ran to her and hid underneath. I think she has taken to them but I think I will settle them in the separate back area of the pen this afternoon. I go back to work Monday and I don't want to come home to a dead chickie. I am also concerned the other hens eating the chick starter. You can't eat the eggs of a hen on chick starter can you?? Anyway I think I will feel much better if they are separated.