Broody Hen

Green man · « **on:** July 22, 2008, 09:19 »

Hi I don't know if this has been covered before but my wife has told me that one of our Hens on the plot is for ever sitting on the eggs when she goes to get them.

What can be done to get her laying again and what can be done to prevent it happening to the others. :oops:
we so want to get it right.
Nick.

kimT · « **Reply #1 on:** July 22, 2008, 09:28 »

It's quite normal for them to be broody and its something you will always battle with........................women eh!

All you can do is keeping moving her off the nest and just making it so uncomfortable for her that she gets fed up and thinks better of it.

I’m not into the some of things people do to stop broodiness by dunking bottoms in cold water or placing them in wire cages………………..its cruel.

I have a broody at the mo and its about her fourth time this year and I just have to keep shifting her off the nest but I realise that not everyone is around to do that but sometimes I just put her in a netted off part of the lawn with food and water so she cant get back into the hen house and block the nest boxes……………it can cause chaos at laying time!

Unless you want to give her some fertile eggs to hatch!

chookiepaula · « **Reply #2 on:** July 23, 2008, 15:52 »

I think you need to be careful that fencing her into a small area with no nest box is cruel as well!

Her mind set is to sit a incubate and prolonging these feelings by not stopping it quickly can be quite traumatic for her. I know of people who put them in a wire cage with food and water but allowing air to circulate underneath to physically cool her warm underside which is what is making her so broody. This has worked effectively within 24 hours which I dont think is cruel as long as she can move around, safe from predators etc.

I appreciate other peoples views differ on these but emotinal trauma can be just as upsetting as physical restraint.

Hope this helps, is she still broody?!

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