How often to shift a broody hen

janeheritage · « **on:** May 26, 2009, 20:19 »

Hello everyone.

My Light Sussex hybrid is broody. She has been very determined - 4 days now and counting - and we have some eggs coming for her. At the moment I'm taking her off the nest a few times a day to give her corn from my hand (great for taming birds

), let her have a drink and stretch and run about (and enormous poo, natch

), get a bit of grass, then hop back on.

I have to go to work tomorrow

. Will she be ok with only coming off once or twice, or should I ask my OH to give her a boost in the middle of the day?

Many thanks all.

Kate and her Ducks · « **Reply #1 on:** May 26, 2009, 20:22 »

Do you want her to stay broody or are you trying to stop her?

janeheritage · « **Reply #2 on:** May 26, 2009, 20:35 »

Definitely stay broody! I am bidding on 6 Braekel eggs - hoping for bretty gold-barred chickens (and some Braekels cocks for giveaway or my pot)

joyfull · « **Reply #3 on:** May 26, 2009, 20:39 »

took mine off the eggs twice a day until the day before due to hatch. When do the eggs finish that you are bidding on? are they local? Can you collect rather than risk posting as you don't want to leave it much longer?

woodside farm · « **Reply #4 on:** May 26, 2009, 20:48 »

If you want her to stay broody, don't move her more that twice a day.
Also if you are having eggs sent through the post make sure you leave them for 24 hours, when they arrive, before putting under the broody (turning the eggsafter 12 hours), this does make a difference to eggs sent through the post. Collection is always a better option, because you can pop them straight under her.
Good Luck, my broody's never stay broody when I want them to.

janeheritage · « **Reply #5 on:** May 26, 2009, 22:01 »

Thanks for the advice about the eggs. I have to get them through the post: all the eggproviders seem to be in Lincolnshire etc, too far for me from Surrey.

Cross fingers, cross everything else

LottieLotto · « **Reply #6 on:** May 26, 2009, 23:43 »

When our Molly was broody we hadn't a clue what to do. We kept lifting her from the nest to get her out of her trance and she'd sit on the grass for about 5 minutes till she snapped out of it and she'd do a big chuckplop! She'd have a bit of porrige but her apetite wasnt great. She'd stay out for another few minutes then she'd cluck loudly till let her back in. This went on for a few months until we decided to give in and get some fertilised eggs for her to sit on.
After what seemed like an eternity one of the 3 hatched, and baby chick Pip was born.

Molly was the perfect mother, she raised a strong healthy cockerel from birth and she's been happy and content from that day to this.

Some chucks get over their broodyness, but others arn't satistied until they have a little chuck to care for.

....good luck

joyfull · « **Reply #7 on:** May 27, 2009, 07:49 »

Good luck with the egg bidding, hope you get them, when does the bidding end?

janeheritage · « **Reply #8 on:** May 27, 2009, 18:22 »

Ended yesterday and they're mine! Should arrive tomorrow

joyfull · « **Reply #9 on:** May 27, 2009, 18:31 »

Great, good luck with the broody, keep us posted.

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How often to shift a broody hen

janeheritage

How often to shift a broody hen

Kate and her Ducks

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

janeheritage

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

joyfull

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

woodside farm

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

janeheritage

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

LottieLotto

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

joyfull

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

janeheritage

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

joyfull

Re: How often to shift a broody hen

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