hen sitting on eggs.....

[lemoniee]

Hi!
over the last week one of our hens has started to sit on eggs as if she is getting broody and wanting to hatch an egg though we havent got any roosters! what does everyone think we should do as our other hens cant get into the nesting box to lay their eggs! we tried moving her and closing the door after the other hens have laid their eggs.

[simon]

I would remove the laid eggs asap. I would also move her as soon as she has laid till her thoughts for sitting have decreased. Its a shame there are probably lots of us that would love a broody hen.

You dont want the others getting egg bound and ill because she is hogging the space so keep removing the eggs as soon as they are laid.

Hope this helps.

Simon

[lemoniee]

Thats the problem tho! she isnt actually sitting on eggs shes just lying down in hte possition as if she was sitting on it! as soon as we pick her out of the brown box (luckily wev got 2 nesting boxes that the others are using!) and put her outside she is happy to eat and drink and scrat around!

[Errol]

My Silkies always sit as if they are broody but not on eggs. I fined that if you want them to sit on eggs just place them on them and they will soon get the hang of brooding the eggs.

P.s. for the first few days make shore after the hen has gotten of the eggs she gets back onto them and doesn't just sit on nothing.

[happychicks]

I would therefore leave her to it.

She is eating, drinking and scratching around. A broody hen may come in handy one day, If she isnt doing any harm leave her to it.

Kindest regards

Simon

[lemoniee]

how long will she do this pretending-to-sit-on-eggs lark then as she hasnt laid any eggs since she started doing it! thanks for all the info every1 x

[happychicks]

Hi there

She will do it until you can stop her from doing it and put her off.

How to stop a hen being broody is fairly simple.
If you prevent her from settling comfortably, she will stop being broody within a week or so. Some hens are fine again after three days in the broody coop; The trick is to construct a cage with a floor made of large wire mesh (at least 1″ squares). Put the cage on bricks so that the floor is suspended off the ground, keeping the bricks to the outside edges so that she can’t sit on them, if she can she will sit on the bricks and you will be back to square one. Then provide a small drinking fountain and feeder within the cage and pop her in. She will not be able to settle comfortably on the wire mesh floor and will spend her time trying to get comfy and will eventually give in.
Its the same wire cage as a dog cage. She will be rather uncomfortable in there and this will put her off brooding. Also some of the lower ranking hens in the coup will be the brooders because its a way of getting away from the others pecking at her. She can go to one side in darkness and sit and not be bothered.

I never allow my hens to sit. What I do is because they lay before 11am I shut their place after that so they cannot sit. If I do get the occasional one I put them in the wire cage and suspend it. It will not do her any harm at all but will make it satifacorally uncomfortable for her to stop brooding.

Hope this helps

Simon

Try the wire cage idea

[lemoniee]

as if like i waved an imaginary magic wand she wandered out of the box when i let them out in the morning and didnt go back in to brood all day! she hasnt brooded in the box for nearly a week now!

thanks for the advice about the wire cage simon, will keep that in mind if any of the others decide to brood!

[happychicks]

Hi again

No problem at all, glad to be of help.

I said her thought of brooding would decrease, nature just needs a little nudge sometimes. Glad she is back to normal. I would have paid a kings ranson at one time for a broody hen, none of mine would sit. I have Hyperactive hens.

Kindest regards

Simon

[Clare]

Hi i agree with some of the people on here, shes broody it doesnt really matter as some have said this could come in handy
my chickens would sometimes become broody sitting on golfballs, but i take them off these as it is quite mean.
Clare x