Questions re A Broody Golden Comet

[jjb1953]

I posted concerns about one of my birds a few days ago re her (Red) acting strange. I was not sure if she was broody or getting sick.
She behaved somewhat broody but not entirely from what I have been reading. Well ... today she is much more typical broody. Beside not leaving the nest, she is making the broody noise I saw on broody videos. And now she seems much more interested in just staying in the nesting box.
I know I need to break her from this.
I feel guilty about it.
. I wish I can just get her fertile eggs or chicks ... but we just can't right now.

Anyway, I have questions re a comet being broody.

So I have read comets rarely do this. I am wondering if since they rarely do this, when one does, will she do this often or is she less likely to do it again?

Also, I plan on making her a wire bottom cage (again feel guilty about this). Do you leave them in this day and night?

Lastly, how often do folks just let their broody hens ride it out and do nothing?

Thanks

Jen

 

[Ridgerunner]

Some breeds are known to go broody a lot and some breeds seldom do. (Yours isn’t a breed, by the way, but as you probably know a hybrid). This is a breed generalization, not an absolute. As you have seen, some that seldom go broody do. It’s an individual thing. Since it is an individual thing, there is no telling if she ever will go broody again or not. Since she has gone broody she might go broody again, but breed has nothing to do with it. It is purely an individual thing.

Yes, leave them in there day and night. Provide food, water, predator protection, and don’t let her overheat (don’t put it in the sun). She will be fine.

I never let my broodies ride it out. They either get fertile eggs, chicks, or get broken. A hen builds up a lot of extra fat before she starts to lay. If they go broody, they live off of this fat. That’s why they don’t need to eat a lot while broody, though eating is good for them. That fat pad can last a long time, but eventually it runs out. Some will quit being broody when it runs out but others keep on going. That’s when being broody gets to be hard on them. Until they run out of fat, weight loss is just fat stored for that purpose.

The longer they are broody, the more of that fat they use up. After they stop being broody and start eating again, they have to build that fat back up before they start to lay again. While it is unlikely (possible but unlikely) your hen will starve herself to death, I just don’t see any benefit in letting them ride it out.

 

[jjb1953]

Ok. Thanks
What do you use to break?
Do you have a picture?
I was just going to make a wire bottom cage using hardware cloth but I do not trust hardware cloth 100% re being predator proof.
I see some use these dog cages:
http://thepoultryguide.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/broody-hen-a-cage.jpg
But what do you do for rain and so forth? A tarp?

 

[howfunkyisurchicken]

A hardware clothe cage would work just fine. You could hang it somewhere in your coop, then predators and rain wouldn't be an issue.

 

[Ridgerunner]

A hardware clothe cage would work just fine. You could hang it somewhere in your coop, then predators and rain wouldn't be an issue.

X2

 

[jackiedee]

I have 2 red comets setting right now.