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Barnyard Buddies:  Severely broody hen?  |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 13 2011 : 1:35:48 PM
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Can you please write me your stories about "going broody". We have our mother hen, she's a buff orph and a real go getter under normal conditions. About 2 days ago she was just sitting in corner of our chicken tractor, under cover, staring at the wall. I got her up and she was limping. We thought she'd been injured, got her out and fed her and she ate and drank, started to walk around and pretty much walked it off. That night we put them all in the house and locked them in (which was just to keep her quiet and safe). She was on the roost in the morning. Yesterday I got her out a few times (grabbed out the corner. Fed her special treats and she picked at the ground.
Today she is not pecking at foods at all, even the best treats. She used to be the stealer and quickest of them all.
Today it hit me that she may be broody. Our other girl that has gone broody 4 times in her 15 month life always sat in the box and talked to us, making a ruckus when ever we touched her. I get her out to stretch when she is broody.
Marigold our buff is making small noises, sitting on the roost, hunkering down in the corner and staring at walls. Today she is out, walking around eating little bits of whatever they happen to eat of our grass. We collected rollie pollies and beetles, some small worms and she didn't even have an interest. Today she had stayed up on the roost (till 11 am) till I moved her outside the tractor.
Do they brood in a different way?
By the way, I am a new chicken mamma. These are our first girls.
This is our first summer with them out full time. They are 15 months old and well fed, 98% organic, raw apple cider vin in water available always, clean water, moved tractor and clean house.
Please send me your thoughts.
Very sincerly,
Stephanie, our kids and Marigold.
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Jul 13 2011 : 11:59:21 PM
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yes it sure sounds like a broody girl to me...I have 2 right now, prudence decided she wanted to be broody with Ginger so they are both crowded in a nesting box over the eggs...should be interesting to say the least....lol...your hen is at a great age to be broody, one she is past the chicky/growing stage & her system is primed for being a mother...buff Orpingtons are very good mothers so if you do have a rooster try to see if you can put some fertile eggs under her...if no rooster you may see this going on with her for the 12 days or so that would take any eggs to hatch...some will snap out of it early others will go the whole length of time....what is important is that you keep water & feed near her at all times except when she is up in the roost area....I have a feeling she is only partly broody if she is going to the roost at night....her hormones could be trying to tell her she needed to sit on eggs but its not complete if you know what I mean.....But she could have also gotten into something that didn't agree with her since you have them in a moveable tractor...it only takes a small amount to make them sick...if she is the only one acting this way try feeding her a tablespoon of yogurt for 5-7 days in the morning...this will help her insides get back to normal & help clean out anything that could be bothering her.....or set out a couple of small dishes with 8 ounces of yogurt divided among the dishes & let them all have a bit so if any of the others got anything that upset them a bit this will help set things right inside them....I love the fact you went & got her worms & rollypolies...what a good momma you are...keep us up to date please....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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Ms.Lilly
True Blue Farmgirl
826 Posts
Lillian
Scotts Mills
OR
USA
826 Posts |
Posted - Jul 14 2011 : 06:56:37 AM
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| I am sure it was a typo above, but it takes 21 days for eggs to hatch. |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2011 : 02:39:19 AM
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oops yeap I reversed the numbers...lol...yeah that would be a big surprise if they hatched at 12 days...sorry thanks for noticing Ms. Lilly :).....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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CascadeFootHillsFarmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
133 Posts
Stephanie
Granite Falls
Wa.
USA
133 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2011 : 08:56:44 AM
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Hi Michele',
Thanks so much for all writing to me. In the last 2 days this is what has happened.
The day I wrote this we kept her out for hours. She was not limping at all.
Yesterday when I went out she was still sitting but farther out in the tractor, not stary eyed in the corner. She got up to eat as I added food to their container and ate quite well.
Yesterday afternoon she was up and about and when I took corn out she ran right up and got right in on it! Back to her normal actions. Then the kids picked them their favorite weeds and she pushed through and the kids yelled "Marigold is back".
The one thing that amazes me the most out of this is how "going broody" can take a normal spunky hen and make me think she's going to pass on. With both our girls it shocked me that they won't stand normally when we tried to move them (legs asleep from sitting for so long!) and not aggressive with food (huge difference). For first time hen owners we'd been shocked seeing them like that and thought the worst. THEN ladies on MJF have come through in the greatest way and calmed me & shared information and kindness. Thank you so much.
In just 2 days another hen has tried to take over Marigold's mother hen roll. Well see if Big Amelia gets to keep it or not.
Stephanie
"A cabin with plenty of food is better than a hungry castle." Irish Quote |
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kristin sherrill
True Blue Farmgirl
11303 Posts
kristin
chickamauga
ga
USA
11303 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2011 : 10:34:43 AM
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When I see a broody hen and don't want her to go broody, when I take her off the nest, she acts like she can't walk. All fluffed up and just sits there. My poor turkeys, after they have been on a nest for days and get off, they are pitiful. Can barely walk til they finally get going again. I just had 6 hens go broody and hatched several chicks. I have one left on a nest now. SHe had a bunch of eggs under her and has hatched 5 so far. There were still some eggs under her. I took the chicks and she acted like she still wanted to sit on the eggs. She had gotten off the nest this morning for a few minutes and I checked the eggs. 3 were rotten but 2 still look like they might hatch. So she is back on them.
They are a mess when they are broody. Not much you can do about it though. They are going to do it no matter if the eggs are fertile or not even real. Some just want to be mommas. Most of mine are pretty good mommas but soem are just not.
Kris
Happiness is simple. |
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MEWolf
True Blue Farmgirl
358 Posts
Margaret
Byers
Colorado
USA
358 Posts |
Posted - Jul 15 2011 : 6:46:49 PM
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Oh dear I too have a broody hen...I did not get out to clean up the eggs since we moved here...and she is now sitting on them  and I was going to clean their coop tomorrow...ack.
Margaret
“Kind hearts are the gardens, kind thoughts are the roots, kind words are the flowers, kind deeds are the fruits. Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds, fill it with sunshine, kind words and kind deeds.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1808-1882)
Farmgirl #3020
www.grey-wolf-farm.com |
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batznthebelfry
True Blue Farmgirl
1257 Posts
Michele
Athol
Ma
USA
1257 Posts |
Posted - Jul 18 2011 : 2:38:30 PM
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I am so glad to hear your hen is doing better...right now Ginger is broody & Prudence who has never gone broody in the 2 yrs I have had her decided to go broody & she & ginger are in the same nesting box!...between the 2 of them I cant see how many eggs they have under them but I have decided to just let them be....ginger has hatched eggs & is a wonderful mother, but Prudence is my complainer so I have to wait to see if she will put up with a bunch of babies following her around or if she will come over to me begging me to take them so she can get some rest...lol....Michele'
Chickens rule!
The Old Batz Farm
Hen #2622 |
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mydakota
True Blue Farmgirl
152 Posts
kristi
redmond
oregon
USA
152 Posts |
Posted - Jul 20 2011 : 2:31:15 PM
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Do you want her to be broody? You can make it pass quickly if you want her to stop it and go back to normal. I have a small separation pen located behind my main henhouse. It has shelter, but no nests and no nesting materials. When a hen goes broody, I remove her from the main flock, and put her in the separation pen for a few days. With no eggs, no nest, and no nesting materials, it passes in just a couple of days. I then return her to the flock and she acts normally, and goes back to eating, scratching, and laying eggs.
The door is always open, and the coffee is always on. |
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Barnyard Buddies: Severely broody hen? |
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Severely broody hen?
