The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Mays on January 29, 2011, 07:51:34 pm
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i recently bought my first two hens. one of them is getting broody, sitting in her nest a lot. she has given me 4 eggs this week, but my question is what to do now? should I give her eggs to hatch?, if so will the other hen feel left out? If I get her eggs to hatch will I need to seperate her from the other hen?
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if she is giving you eggs still she may not be broody she may be ill does she attack you? she eating drinking? moving around at all?
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Are the eggs hers or the other hens, How long is she sitting if she is laying the eggs she will not be broody and if laying she should be well or she would stop laying.
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Is there a cockerel present? Cos if there isn't there ain't going to be any hatching.
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If she is broody ( and if she is an efficient broody this is) she will stay in the nest box all day sitting on ant eggs she can find or just in an empty box where she laid most of her eggs. She will have stopped laying and her body temp will have risen resulting in a red comb. When she is in the bos she will have taken on a buch broader shape caused by spreading her body out to cover the clutch ( or imaginary clutch) of eggs. if you attempt to lift her from the box she will sqalk and fluff out all her feathers in a defensive posture (if she's a determined broody) and may even peck you agressively. When you put her on the floor she will sit down in roughly the same position as she was in the coop and refuse to move for a while. When she does get up she will likely head straight back to the box, possibly grabing a gulp of food or water on the way.
If she isnt doing some or all of the above she either isnt broody or she isnt a very determined broody. If you give her some eggs you need to treat her for parasites and move her to a clean, quiet, secure brooding coop / box with food, grit and water where she wont be disturbed. The others wont be interested in her and her eggs unless they become broody and then they will try and establish a clutch of their own. In which case you would need to set them up in their own broody coop/ box. If she isnt that determined she may not stick with it and may give up on the clutch especially if she is disturbed. Some hens do spend a while in the box when laying eggs so perhaps she is just taking her time about it?
Although they dont need a cock around to go broody if you have one who seems to be guarding her while she sits this could be another indication of broodyness. If you decide to buy some fertilised eggs for her do remember that you stand a chance of hatching some or even all males so you may want to plan what you will do with them?
Buffy
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Great description, Buffy! Very useful!
If you don't have a boy just take her eggs. she might get bored trying eventually. Also, if the eggs are fertile, I'd think it was a bit early in the year, too cold. :&>
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hatching atm as its not right now your wanting its whan you plan to sell im starting last week of feb but mum got some in now to test fertility alot of people are hatching now but depending what your wanting to do then thats what your answer
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depends what your plans are on looking after the chicks. only too cold for nature's way, with mum outdoors. ;) :&>
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THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REPLIES!!
Ok, after reading buffys discription, now I dodnt think she broody, she jsut likes to sit in her nest some of the day and goes mad if the other hens sits on her "side" but other than that she is running a round and generally looking very happy & normal x
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Hi All,
just thought I'd let you know that Snowy ( my proffessional broody ) has officially gone broody this week. Now given that she rejected her last lot of chicks at New year she has managed a record breaking 5 weeks of sporadic laying before launching her self into motherhood once again. I'm not sure if this is a behaviour that other hens will follow but Mays little hen might just be thinking about it to.
Snowy normally only manages 2 weeks between rejecting one batch of chicks and becoming broody again so I have done rather well to have got a dozen or so eggs from her and a sunny disposition before loosing her once again to several weeks of moody maternity. ( ooh she does get grumpy!)
It does mean however that I definatly need to dispatch the couple of young cockerels that I have in the small coop and sterilise the place with milton before settling Snowy and a clutch of Blue croad eggs in to it over the weekend. Ah the poultry year has begun ;D
Here is a pic of her with her last batch of chicks that she brooded through the dreadful winter. Before you get all gooie over the chicks Mays....they turned into the two cockerels that I have to dispatch at the weekend. :(
Buffy
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make sure both hens have enough space and the eggs are being collected
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thanks for the further replies,
ah well she did hatch an egg before I got her (just before Xmas) so maybe that is the pattern I am seeing?, she is currently laying a egg most days, that I remove imediately. The two hens hare a huge Chicken house & run designe for up to 8 chickens so I think they have plenty room?
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A good way to check if a hen is really broody is too gently slide your hand under her, palm up, and if she cuddles your hand with her wings then she is serious about wanting to hatch. The best way to reset her cycle is to construct a 'sin bin'. This can be as simple has a rabbit hutch with food and water available but should really have a small mesh floor so that she does not want to think of a nest. This process should take about a fortnight to be effective.
If you do decide to let her hatch she will not have to be separated as she will instinctivly want to protect her chicks.
Hope this helps!!
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i use a rabbit hutch to use as a broody box so then hen dont get disturbed and bonds with her chicks before letting them out daytime after 2 weeks then all is good iv not lost a chick yet nearly but is so much easier as rabbit hutches are great for broodies if you want to break her just keep chucking her off the nest . to test if broody she will not lay eggs maybe one or 2 in the whole time she will attack you make popping noises and will not want to budge so thus you keep her out the box for breaking her my last 1 took 2 weeks to break chucking out about 6 times an hour i locked her out the nestbox also