Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: Chablis Dog on July 15, 2010, 17:59
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After causing me much anxiety (because I thought she was ill), I have now realised that my one remaining layer is sitting on a clutch of eggs. They are probably fertilised as I have a cockerel. However, what do I do now? I would be very glad to have some chicks but is this going to be a costly/complicated undertaking?. She has been sitting on them for a couple of days and I have been unable to move her. She pecked hubbie quite hard when he tried to move her too. I am worried that she isn't eating and possibly not drinking either (although there is always a water feeder in the hen house). Should I just get my gardening gloves on and shift her out and for how long? My hens were given to me some months ago by someone who wasn't looking after them very well and they haven't been handled. I don't want to cause her stress but I am worried that she isn't eating etc. What should I be doing?
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You need to move her and her eggs to a separate broody house where she, and the chicks when they hatch, are safely away from the other hens. Lift her off the eggs a couple of times a day and put her near the food and water she will eat a bit, stretch her legs for a while then go back to her eggs, (so long as she knows where they are after moving her). Do you know when they are due to hatch? it's best not to disturb her for the last couple of days.
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Like the previous poster says, you need to seperate her/put her in a broody coup.
You should put your gardening gloves on and put her out, i generally do it once in the morning and once at around teatime. She can eat and drink then and do the lovely 'broody poo!'
Steve
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Hi - As many newish chicken keepers have not had any experience with broodies I put up a little page with some hints and tips at
http://www.darkbrowneggs.info/#/broody-hens/4542303374
All the best with her, watching a broody caring for her chicks is a charming sight, and one of the pleasures in life.
All the best
Sue
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Many thanks for your help. I will look at the link in a mo too. She has been sitting on the eggs since about Tuesday now. Do I really need to separate her from the other chooks though? I only have one hen left who no longer lays, and one cockerel and they have all been staying together in the nest box at night as usual which is in a largish shed. If I do need to separate her, will a large pet carrier suffice? I am however really looking forward to having some chicks, and especially like knowing where they have come from and how they have been fed etc.
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:) :) Hope for Everyone With Broody Hens !!!!
After 13 Days, Annabelle has 'snapped out' of this Broodiness and yesterday around Lunchtime she's suddenly appeared from the Coop/Nesting Box and started associating with the other two Hens again....Phew !!!! This morning, I could tell that things were back to normal before I let the Girlies out into the Run as Annabelle was making her usual 'Let Me Out' Noises LOL - When I slid open the door into the Run they all bounded out and made straight for the feed trough - Happy Days.
P.S......When I decided to segregate Annabelle for a couple of days, as Hens are extremely intelligent and very quick learners, she saw her preverbial backside and did not produce any Eggs but as soon as she recovered yesterday, there was a lovely bonny egg left in the Nesting Box :)
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Thanks to your advice, all is going well now. I had a real job moving her off the nest - in the end I resorted to pushing her out of the hen house, gently but firmly with the broom which did the trick. She went off, drank loads, ate some food then took a dust bath. I was a bit worried as she didn't return to the nest immediately but I went away to leave nature to its own devices. When I went back later, she was firmly ensconced on the nest of three eggs. Hopefully she won't be so hard to shift next time!