New broodies!! Help!

[A GIBSON]

we have 2 fairly new broody hens,the silkie will sit on a golf ball,pecan,rock or anything really she thinks may be an egg lol. We have SEVERAL nesting boxes and all of them seem to want to use the same one!! Typically not a problem but we decided to let our red hen sit on her eggs. Our white silkie had also layed eggs in this nesting box and every morning she comes and tries to get on her eggs as well as lil reds eggs eventually she gives up and heads back to the yard ...will this become a problem? ?? If so what should we do? ?

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Make sure you mark all eggs that are under the red hen to hatch. Remove fresh eggs daily. It is possible the silkie will go broody with the red, and if you don't care, they'll just hatch the eggs together and most likely have no problems. I've had lots of hens hatch chicks together.

 

[A GIBSON]

Make sure you mark all eggs that are under the red hen to hatch. Remove fresh eggs daily. It is possible the silkie will go broody with the red, and if you don't care, they'll just hatch the eggs together and most likely have no problems. I've had lots of hens hatch chicks together.

ooh yes we've already marked the ones they have been sitting on so we don't get a mixture. . Also. We have been offering the red hen food and water in the nesting box.. should we continue? we've had the issue before of a hen going broody and a few days later loosing intrest for whatever reason. She or another chicken tossed all the eggs out she had been sitting on.

 

[TheKindaFarmGal]

Yeah, it is fine to have food and water in the nest box. Just make sure the water can't spill on the nest.

 

[bobbi-j]

ooh yes we've already marked the ones they have been sitting on so we don't get a mixture. . Also. We have been offering the red hen food and water in the nesting box.. should we continue? we've had the issue before of a hen going broody and a few days later loosing intrest for whatever reason. She or another chicken tossed all the eggs out she had been sitting on.

I would not recommend feeding and watering in the nest box. She needs to get up and move around once a day or so. This is the time they eat, drink, stretch their legs and poop. If they have no reason to get up, they will poop in the nest box, soiling the eggs and possibly causing them to die before hatching.

 

[A GIBSON]

Well for now lil red is pacing around the nesting box making all kinds of racket and our silkie has been sitting on the eggs since yesterday early afternoon. Neither have left the area for food or water so I keep it close by away from the flock.

 

[aart]

You might want to seclude with wire fencing the hen you want to set...so the other can't interfere.

 

[A GIBSON]

Ok... new development with my 2 broodies.. my white silkie will get off the eggs once or twice a day leave the porch to eat and scratch around. Early on I noticed my red hen would get off the eggs but not leave the porch. So after a day or so I put out our mini feeder and water set up beside the nesting box. Red hen would not use it,so I went back to hand feeding the red hen and she accepted. Now,she will sit outside my back door atleast every other day until I come out to feed her from my hand. Not really a problem just strange and amusing.

 

[Critterwoman]

I do this. When the hen is first starting to set and 'gathering' eggs i leave the nest box open. When she has enough eggs i put up a barrier made of 1/4" hail screen, also known as rabbit wire, to keep her in and the others out. I use pint size milk carton to make a feeder and waterer out of and attach it to the screen so it doesn't spill. I then take the hen off the nest and replace the screen until she wants back in after doing all her business, twice a day.

 

[A GIBSON]

we have our first baby! !!!!