Broody Hen

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Leabaker
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Broody Hen

Post by Leabaker »

One of my hens is staying in the nest box and refusing to move. She is very aggressive when I try to move her and we had no eggs yesterday which is almost unheard of!
I have 5 other hens and was wondering if the others are being put off laying by the hen that appears to be broody.
Someone suggested isolating her for a few days.
Can anyone help?

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kitla
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by kitla »

My hens each go broody at least once a year, they will sit on any eggs they find - or on nothing! It's hard work trying to "break" them from the spell of broodiness, often doesnt work & they will come out of it themselves in a couple of weeks. I just let them be now, chuck them off the nest a couple of times a day (where gloves if you have a fiesty one) to make sure they eat and provide an extra nestbox for the others to lay their eggs, a catbox/travelbox in the run works for us.
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HedgeHugger
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by HedgeHugger »

The one time I had a broody hen, it didn't put the others off laying, but I do have several places they can lay if desperate. (they all like one the same place really).

My thought was to let the broody chook do her thing, she'll come out of it, it was weeks!, in the end though we intervened and actively got her out of the nest box. Our problem was the weather, it was so hot, plus the heat she was creating, and she was getting so thin, she was bone and feathers, it got to the point where my head said she wouldn't kill herself, but my heart ached for the skinny bag of feathers and we took to lifting her out, despite her protests, they were loud!, and locking her out of the nest box (they do have a whole garden to roam). Still it took a while for her to come to her normal senses, but would do the same again if it happened, but next time we would intervene earlier.
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Mo
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by Mo »

Yes I would intervene early, as they may be less determined then. certainly remove all eggs from under them, using a 'shield' if necessary (a bit of board between her head and your hand)
Are the others laying somewhere else (under a bush?)
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Leabaker
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by Leabaker »

Many thanks, I have taken her out and put her in a large dog crate, still inside the run with the others ( as it is raining heavily) with plenty of straw and food/water. She is eating and seems to have calmed down.
The problem is they all seem to lay in the same nesting box although there are 2 others in the coop, anyway one has now laid so hopefully the rest will follow.
I may leave her out tonight as it is quite warm and the run has a poly carb roof on so she will stay dry.
I will keep you informed but thanks again.
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Mo
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by Mo »

You are giving her a soft life with straw - some advice I've seen is put them in a mesh cage with air underneath them to cool them. If you don't want her brrody you don't want her getting comfortable and nesting.
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Leabaker
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by Leabaker »

Sounds like good advice and you are right Mo I do give them a soft life!
Many thanks
Leabaker
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by Leabaker »

More help if possible, only 1 egg out of 6 hens for 2 days now. The hens seem healthy and are eating well. I let the broody one out of her crate this morning and after a run round in the garden she went straight back to her nesting box and is still there!
Any ideas welcome.
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KarenE
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by KarenE »

You might have a nest hidden away somewhere. Do they free range? They can lay in the oddest places. You might have to follow them around and see if they are disappearing somewhere
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Mo
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by Mo »

Or keep them in the run and the broody in the crate all morning to get them back into the nestbox habit.
Very frustrating when they hide eggs you may never find them (other hungry eggs are watching), or later you may find a pile of unknown age, and have to do the float test (the higher it floats, the older it is).
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kitla
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by kitla »

With my first broody hen I used the "icepack" method to try & break her out of it, I was told about it on here. The theory is the same as the wire cage really, that the hen's hormones are making her undercarriage hot to incubate the eggs, if you keep cooling it she may give up & come out of it quicker. I was advised to use a small icepack wrapped in a towel, or something similar put under her regularly. It worked for some people but I found it alot of hassle & when it did work & she came off her nest, a few weeks later she went broody again! Since then I've used a broody to hatch eggs a few times & I'm more relaxed about it now. The hatching cycle is 21 days so that's how long a hen "should" brood for, but there are exceptions, I have a hen that's a bit odd and she broods every summer for a couple of months! So long as you make sure they get off at least twice a day to eat & drink & make sure there's no redmite in the nest (will multiply under her) she will be ok. Putting something like nutridops in the water is a good idea to help keep her healthy. I have some plastic eggs I put in the nestboxes I want my girls to use, or if you put a real egg in your spare nestbox it should encourage the others to lay there. (so long as your broody doesnt find it & sit on it! ha!). As Karen said you probably have a pile of eggs hidden under a shrub somewhere, listen for the eggsong & run out there to see where that hen is !
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Leabaker
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by Leabaker »

Many thanks, I am not sure if you could class my hens as free range, they live in approximately 35 sq mts of garden split equally into grass and bark chips. I also have 3 terriers so I fenced this with electric netting ( I have never had it switched on though} and I have planted beech and hawthorn around it in the hope that once established I can remove the netting and the hens will still be contained. Within this I have a 6 sq mt run (hopefully fox proofed) and within that I have installed an Arcus hen house with 3 inbuilt nesting boxes. Sorry for the ramble but I am trying to paint a picture to explain why I don't think they are laying anywhere else.
I have just noticed some yolk in one of the nest boxes and as I mentioned in a previous post I have a rat problem at the moment. I was wondering if they are getting in and taking the eggs.
In the meantime I will follow the advice.
Thanks again
Lea
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kitla
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by kitla »

oh dear rats yeuc! I have one of those visiting at the moment. It's also possible that your hens have started egg eating! If one of them laid a thin shelled, softy or broken egg & they ate it, it can become a very naughty habit that's hard to break. You could do with a spy camera to see whats going on!
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant
Leabaker
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by Leabaker »

I have isolated the broody hen and put her back in the crate, lifted it onto blacks and put mesh on the floor but again only one egg from the other 5 hens (the same hen each day)
I was reading Bluefinches post and wonder if I am over feeding? I feed them on Gold layers mix but they do seem to eat the corn/sunflower seeds etc and leave the pellets. I have tried giving them layers pellets but they just leave them.
If I only give them layers and nothing else will they eventually get hungry and eat them?
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kitla
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Re: Broody Hen

Post by kitla »

ah, I presume you are leaving out corn & sunflower seeds all the time? I'm afraid that's a bit like putting cakes & chocolate on the table and hoping the kids will eat the salad.! Best for them to have pellets available all day & keep the treats till late in the day (but not too much or they will get fat) They will eat the pellets if there isnt anything else, but they may throw them all over the place at first while they're searching for the corn!
"He who is cruel to animals becomes hard also in his dealings with men. We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals."
--Immanuel Kant

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