Non-stop broodies

[Damummis]

I have 2 hens that have hatched 2 chicks each. However they were neglecting those chicks waiting for the rest of the eggs to hatch. They never did. I removed the eggs, candled and moved the broodies off the nest. I had to put chicks in brooder because the mommas wouldn't leave the nest.

Now a week later the hens still won't leave the nest, even though I have tried everything suggested here on BYC. Come to find out DD#1 has slipped 3 eggs under each hen, to the detriment of DH's Father's Day cheesecake. (Had to wait for more eggs).

How long can they last like this??? Will they sit forever? Now I have to wait 19 more days.

 

[Damummis]

Still at it. They won't leave the nest unless I physically remove them. Then they are right back.

What is the longest you have had a broody for???? We are going on 5 weeks here.

 

[EweSheep]

My Orp bantams went broody for two months until I had a surprise order from Ideal which I cancelled. They were really good about it and it took care of the problem.

Look at it this way....you can get more chicks and have it all natural broody without paying a cent toward your electricity for brood lights.

 

[elmo]

Careful...when I weighed my broodies after they hatched out their chicks, each had lost about 30 percent of her body weight, and they all got off the nest every day to eat and drink.

Brooding is physically stressful. If you let your hens do literally back to back brooding periods, their health might be seriously impacted.

 

[Chickenmaven]

I have to agree with Elmo. We have a number of Silkies, so we deal with alot of unnecessary broodiness. We put our broodies in a tractor in the middle of the yard to give them distractions. We feed them boiled egg. We make it a policy that everyone who enters the coop during the day must go over to the broody pile, pick them up & transport them to the far end of the run. Just anything to have them exposed to food, water & activity.

 

[Damummis]

Never really thought about that aspect.

They are getting rather thin. How can I fatten them up some and improve their help. Egg was mentioned. What else can I supplement with? I am quite worried. I must mention that I do take them out 2-3 times a day. Any advise is welcome.

 

[OaklandChickens]

For my little broody darling I make her cooked millet, oatmeal and barley - and yogurt - they all love yogurt. All those things have decent protein and help keep her hydrated, too, and she goes at them with gusto.

Just to warn you though, this could go on for weeks. and weeks. I have a bantam cochin with some very pronounced broody tendencies. The first time, when we weren't sure how best to deal with it and figured she'd just eventually snap out of it, she stayed broody for 8 weeks, and only stopped when we finally put her in an open wire cage (like a dog crate) for a few days and nights. (with time out every day to run around and scratch and dust-bathe and so we could test her behavior) I'd been giving her lots of special treats throughout the 8 weeks, and even so she was a shadow of her former self by the time it was over. I was afraid she'd die - she'd lost a lot of weight, her comb was pale and droopy and she had feathers missing (besides the tummy feathers they pull out to brood), and she just seemed kind of depressed and worn out. Now whenever she shows signs of going broody, I quick put her in her jail in the backyard, with plenty of delicious food and water and the spell is over in 3-4 days. I keep the crate off the ground to keep the air circulating, and since our coop is tiny I have to bring her jail into the basement of the house at night to keep her safe. But it's a huge improvement from the 2-month ordeal, and she really doesn't seem to mind the confinement much after the first hour or so.

Good luck!