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Author Topic: Broody hen?  (Read 9070 times)

gillandtom

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Stirling
Broody hen?
« on: March 23, 2009, 02:02:06 pm »
I think maybe one of our hens has gone broody.  Percie wont leave the coop and sits in the nesting box all day even after you remove the eggs from under her.  If I lift her out she just goes straight back up and resumes the same position. She is about 30 weeks old.

Any tips on what I should do to get her to stop or should I try find some fertile eggs from someone for her to sit on?   ???

sabrina

  • Joined Nov 2008
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2009, 04:04:27 pm »
I had one go broody late November and removed her from the nest box. She went into our Jack Russells's travel pen which has a metal floor. Cold to sit on, after a few days she was back to normal.  :chook:

pigsatlesrues

  • Joined Oct 2008
  • Normandy, France
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2009, 06:33:11 pm »
If you keep moving her she will eventually lose the urge.  If you do decide to give her some fertile eggs remember that there is a good chance you  will end up with a few extra cock birds, which you will have to either re home, which can be difficult, or take the plunge and put them in the freezer once they start to be interested in the hens.

Kate  :chook:
Bonjour et avoir un bon jour !

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2009, 09:02:32 pm »
We've got fertile eggs (at least we have two randy cockerels) if you want to set some under her.

gillandtom

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Stirling
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2009, 12:25:34 pm »
...... Well thanks to Rosemary I now have 9 of her fertile eggs sitting under Percie (as long as her 2 cockerals Hector and Hugo have been having their wicked way that is!!)  I am sooo excitied.  So wish me luck and watch this space to see what happens in 21 days!!!
   ;D
Gill  x x

sellickbhoy

  • Joined Jan 2009
  • Muiravonside, near Linlithgow
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #5 on: March 26, 2009, 01:20:35 pm »
continuing my series of "entry level" questions on the subject of chicken husbandry.........

I'm planning on getting some and will use the odd egg (most will be given away to neighbours) and also breed them so i've got a supply for the pot.

I'm not planning (initially anyway) to try artificially incubating and hatching the eggs, just gonna leave the chickens to do their thing.

i'm assuming if i go down each day to collect any eggs, if there is no one sitting on them, then i'll take them, but if someone is still in there, then they can keep them.

I assume that once a hen goes broody she'll stop laying and sit on the egg, turning it as required. Or will she continue to lay and sit on the accumulated eggs - and if that's the case, will she stop sitting once it's hatching time?? leaving a few unhatched eggs - that i might have to manually incubate until hatching time.

cheers





Hilarysmum

  • Joined Oct 2007
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #6 on: March 26, 2009, 02:46:50 pm »
I usually go for incubation rather than hatching so my experience is limited to 3 hens.  In my limited experience the hens lay eggs, other hens go lay in the same place, the broody hen sits on loads of eggs.  The ones in the middle hatch, the ones on the outside dont as she cant brood them all.  Once she is "sitting" she does not lay any longer.  You could leave her with 6 and put the rest in the incubator, t hen when they hatch stuff them under the hen (sorry not a technical explanation).  Hen will bring them up (as ours with the ducks) until they are old enough to fend for themselves when she will toddle back to the coop leaving the chicks to go their own way. 

doganjo

  • Joined Aug 2012
  • Clackmannanshire
  • Qui? Moi?
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Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #7 on: March 26, 2009, 04:39:31 pm »
If you leave eggs under a broody remember to mark them, then you can remove the others laid subsequently knowing they haven't been 'started'
Always have been, always will be, a WYSIWYG - black is black, white is white - no grey in my life! But I'm mellowing in my old age

gillandtom

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Stirling
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #8 on: March 26, 2009, 05:20:10 pm »
6 of Rosemarys are blue and the other 3 are a deep brown so there will be no mixing these ones up. x

JD

  • Joined Nov 2008
  • Glasgow
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #9 on: March 26, 2009, 07:31:54 pm »
Good luck Gill, Tom will soon have a full freezer!!
Jim

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #10 on: March 26, 2009, 08:40:01 pm »
Only if he's allowed to!

gillandtom

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Stirling
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2009, 06:43:35 am »
Just as well we dont own a freezer then - Oh well we will just have to keep them! ;D

gillandtom

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Stirling
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #12 on: April 15, 2009, 07:30:47 am »
.... 21 days is up today!!!  If they are going to hatch will it be today for sure or can they go a few days over like us? 

Nothing so far but it is only 730am.  I just know I am ging to be in there every half hour today checking.  Fingers crossed!!!! ;)

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #13 on: April 15, 2009, 09:02:15 am »
They can go a couple of days over. My fingers are crossed too. As are Hugo's 'cos if he fails this time he's lunch!

gillandtom

  • Joined Feb 2009
  • Stirling
Re: Broody hen?
« Reply #14 on: April 15, 2009, 12:04:58 pm »


Quote
They can go a couple of days over. My fingers are crossed too. As are Hugo's 'cos if he fails this time he's lunch!


Hugo is safe - I can see a tiny beak!!!!!!!!!   ;D

 

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