The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: mab on March 15, 2013, 10:04:51 pm
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possibly a silly question but one of my hens is sitting on her nest all the time. She's been there for about 2 full days now but hasn't laid an egg (she was laying regularly up til 3 days ago).
Is this broody behaviour? shouldn't she still be laying eggs?
Pity the fox got my cockerel about 3 months ago so it won't do any good even if there was an egg.
marcus
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Yep, you've got a broody. They stop laying when they start sitting so that all the eggs develop at the same rate (and therefore hatch at the same time). Hard to get her out of it if you haven't got any eggs for her to sit on....
H
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Thanks.
just glad it's something normal and not a problem (vague memories or reading about 'stuck' eggs at the back of my mind).
Only wish she'd gone broody when the cock was about ::) .
next question; do I just have to wait for her to 'get over it' or do I need to actively evict her from the coop?
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I should make it clear I'm no expert on this - only a few months into chicken keeping myself. I've got a broody at the moment and it all started exactly how you described which is why I replied - she also started lining the nest box with feathers. I didn't really want her to be broody so I kicked her out of the nest box (not literally, you understand) whenever I saw her. The first couple of times that seemed enough for the day but then she was back in there the next morning. Then I tried putting her in a run by herself with no access to inside space and she just brooded in the corner. I was just about to go to the stage of constructing something from pallets so that she had air underneath her too when I just thought it might be easier to let her sit (I have hopefully fertile duck eggs). She's been sitting a week now and seems thoroughly dedicated to it.
The ideal anti-broody pen which is something with a wire base too so that they get a breeze through their underparts and it's not comfortable to sit. Something like a bird cage. I believe it takes a couple of days in there. If you Google, you should find some images. There was a make your own one in one of the smallholding magazines a few months back but I'm not that handy (hence my makeshift attempt with pallets).
Personally I'd start with just moving her on and seeing whether she's serious enough to need to move it up a level. Alternatively if she seems really serious, you could order some hatching eggs in and have yourself some cute little chickies in a few weeks, followed by tasty dinners in a few months,
H
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I was just thinking about getting some eggs in - I've seen 'em on fleabay - though it'd be just my luck for her to give up just as they arrive...
Thanks for your advice - I've actually had hens for more than a few months (though it was ex-batts before) but I've never seen a broody before.
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Marcus, I only got chickens for the first time last year so don't have a lot of experience but this is exactly what happened to a couple of mine too.
For the first one I lifted her off at every opportunity until she gave up and then went back to laying. When it happened to the second one I bought half a dozen eggs by post and she hatched 4. She was a great mum.
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Our broodies also stop laying, sit on the straw and try to hatch that, but its difficult to stop them from being broody. We gave in and collected eggs from our other hens and the broody sit, hatch and rear the chicks.
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good; well I've decided - if she's still there tomorrow afternoon I may try & get some eggs for her (i've not tried to stop her).
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Get some eggs under her..... doesn't matter what sort.... we used to hatch ducks under an old broody hen. It confuses the hen when the little ones start swimming in the water though
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Yep all the broody info is as I would do.....Good time to introduce new stock as eggs
. REMEMBER though if you dont want boys then you can get chooks that come out with sex linked coulouring (light sussex X isa redis one of those I think) and get rid of the boys straight away or do as I do and wait and see what you get with a complete mixed bag then eat the boys when there bigger.
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An old guy in the village used to take most of our cockrels.... he used to clear up the rabbits and take care of the foxes too
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Well she's sitting on 9 cream legbar eggs now - just have to wait & see... :fc:
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Fair play! That was quick - getting hold of the eggs - not from fleabay then?
I have 2 broodies at the mo - one sitting on some Rhodie eggs and the other sitting on duck eggs. Fingers crossed!
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Could be a broody. Takes a lot out of them and we've stopped using broodies since we had a lovely hen called Loulou die as a result.
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Fair play! That was quick - getting hold of the eggs - not from fleabay then?
I have 2 broodies at the mo - one sitting on some Rhodie eggs and the other sitting on duck eggs. Fingers crossed!
well, I found them on fleabay but sorted by 'nearest first' and picked a local chap to avoid waiting for (and the uncertainty of) the post.
Chris you're worrying me now ::) [size=78%]. She seems fine though - when she popped out for a quick breather today, and she's a young healthy bird. I'll just have to keep an eye on her.[/size]
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We have been successful previously, though its a first time with duck eggs. Don't let the broodie go too far over the time to hatch and make sure she's fed and watered. I check mine and stroke mum every day so she gets used to me. The first time, I got the date wrong and replaced the eggs with some day old chicks as I thought they were all dud. Brought them in, tested them in some tepid water and the eggs started cheeping!
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I think there are 7 of them :) (they keep hiding under 'mum') - there were 9 eggs and there are 2 left unhatched.
Pleasantly surprised as I hadn't realised the nest had gone down to the bottom of the box and the east wind had been howling under the slatted floor for a good while before I noticed and did something about it -brrr. she must have worked hard to keep 'em warm.
just got to keep them alive now :fc:
m
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Yay! So cute! You've beaten me to it. Mine is still sitting - hopefully the first batch of ducks will hatch this weekend - she will have been sitting for 35 days and we're into a good routine now. I suspect she's healthier now than she was at the start due to being dewormed, deloused, demited and fed treats (all while in the luxury of our house as I decided that she wouldn't survive the winds you describe - and the snow).
Enjoy your littlies and glad she stayed the course,
H
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35 days? Oh - I guess that's 'cos they're duck eggs?
mine were ~22 days which is close to the nominal 21.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for your ducks. :fc:
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35 days because she was sitting on infertile eggs for a week before I candled them and realised and then switched to the duck eggs she's on now which are supposed to be around 28 days. They're at 26 days now and I can hear peeping inside :excited:. As ever, I have to worry about something - they've lost quite a lot of weight so I hope they're not dehydrated (now started spraying them twice a day).
Hope your guys & girls are all still doing well,
H
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I also have a young hen who has started to be broody. Is e-bay a reliable source of hatching eggs? If not, what is the alternative?
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I have had both 100% hatch rate and also 100% duff eggs from ebay so its really luck of the draw
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Do you know what breed you want to hatch? I'm getting some duck eggs next week and I've gone straight to breeders because I want to be sure of the quality of the ducks I'm hopefully getting. Preloved is also a good place to look - they have more local poultry ads and if you can find the poultry, you can ask them for hatching eggs at this time of year (and if you can go and pick them up, that'll probably help the outcome). Or there may be people on here - there was a long list under Marketplace of hatching eggs for this year.
H