Q'S about barred rock HENS

[Ksbrhens]

We have started raising hens,barred rock,we have 4 of them.They are great,sweet,social.One of then hens is brrod I think.she wont get off the eggs.she barely come down of the laying box to eat or drink,but does rarely.How do I break this if she is broody.i dont necessarily have the availability to keep her separate from the laying box unless I can put her in like a dog box due to the othe hens in the pen with her.also do we feed the hens laying food all the time or only for a certain amount of time? We also give them chicken scratch on the ground and laying feed in their trough.I just dont one the broody hen to get sick.thanks in advance for yalls time!

 

[Wyorp Rock]

We have started raising hens,barred rock,we have 4 of them.They are great,sweet,social.One of then hens is brrod I think.she wont get off the eggs.she barely come down of the laying box to eat or drink,but does rarely.How do I break this if she is broody.i dont necessarily have the availability to keep her separate from the laying box unless I can put her in like a dog box due to the othe hens in the pen with her.also do we feed the hens laying food all the time or only for a certain amount of time? We also give them chicken scratch on the ground and laying feed in their trough.I just dont one the broody hen to get sick.thanks in advance for yalls time!

Hi @Ksbrhens Welcome To BYC

It does sound like she is broody. Does she growl, screech, squeal and flatten out like a pancake if you move her from the nest or remove the eggs?

If you have a dog kennel, that would work as a broody breaker. You will need to place it where she cannot "nest" and has air flow. Essentially cooling her down. See the link below.
Feed her her normal feed as usual. I love to give mine scratch to, but think about how much you are giving. Try to make their normal feed the main source of nutrition especially if you keep them in a coop/run. Limit treats to around 5-10% of their daily intake. I try to give mine a variety of things (once a day) - eggs, scratch, leafy greens, veggies or fruit.
I have found especially with Barred Rocks, they love to eat, seems more so than other breeds I have had. You don't want your lovely ladies to become fat, this can cause difficulties laying eggs, fat hens are more prone to having fatty liver disease as well.

If you have photos of your girls you would like to share that would be great - we love chicken pictures!

 

[Rocky-Acres]

We have started raising hens,barred rock,we have 4 of them.They are great,sweet,social.One of then hens is brrod I think.she wont get off the eggs.she barely come down of the laying box to eat or drink,but does rarely.How do I break this if she is broody.i dont necessarily have the availability to keep her separate from the laying box unless I can put her in like a dog box due to the othe hens in the pen with her.also do we feed the hens laying food all the time or only for a certain amount of time? We also give them chicken scratch on the ground and laying feed in their trough.I just dont one the broody hen to get sick.thanks in advance for yalls time!

If you want chicks and have fertile eggs, set her up in a different area . Feed her regular feed and water. 21 days later...... peep peep. I did this with my BR. If no chicks wanted then separate her or keep pulling eggs out from under her. Personally I'd separate her. Good luck.

 

[Ksbrhens]

Thank yall for the feedback,we dont want chick's right now,plus no rooster.but we r taking the eggs from u Derek her.and let them roam the yard again and kept her out of the laying box for the day,she kept trying to get back into the top of the coop,but couldnt.and yes she kinda flattens down when we move her and makes some noise,I guess it could be a growl.she pecks us sometimes.but we are learning with yalls help.ill post picks soon. thanks again ya'll

 

[Ksbrhens]

Sorry,we r taking the eggs from under her.and we let them roam the yard and when we do,shes separated from the box.