[lisa80]

hello all ,we have a maran who seems to be broody oh has been taking her out each day and making sure she eats .my question is would it be worth giving in and putting some fertile eggs under her? . we have a broody ark in our garden so we could keep an eye on her but would any chicks be ok at this time of yr?second question where can i get some welsummer eggs?

[karlooben]

i would not worry about trying to hatch anything at the mo unless u really do have the means to keep them warm an well indoors its just to cold . what maran is it if its a cou cou { or is that cuckoo } maran like mine good luck , at times mine has gone broody it lasts for about 1/2 hour 

[lisa80]

yes think its a cukoo .we have got heat lamps etc so could bring them indoors if any hatch shes been like it for 5 days or so and is sat in the girls favorite nest box so is hindering the others laying.just feel sorry for her :(if we did let her sit should we take chicks away on hatching so we can keep them warm?

[karlooben]

i have never hatched my own and not sure if i really want to but someone else with more experience will be along soon .

[chickenlady]

This time of year it is not a good idea to hatch unless its in an incubator and then in brooder boxes! to let your broody sit for 21 days when already alot of her energy is going into keeping herself warm isnt really fair, especially if you plan to take her chicks away from her as soon as they hatch   If she is broody now then she will get her chance come spring, when she will most likely become broody again. Aswell as that there are no fertile eggs around (or very few) this time of year as it isnt naturally the breeding season and most breeders will have their hens and cock birds seperated for the winter whilst they rest and get their condition back! I no you want to do the best for your girl but you will be if you make her wait IMO  :happy:

Debbie

[lisa80]

i think your right but i may still have to seperate her ,bring her up to the house to make sure shes eating etc.. she isnt letting any of the girls use the nest box they like and so they are laying them on the floor even tho there are 2 more boxes!

[Aunt Sally]

Silly hen !  Doesn't she know all she is doing is putting her own life at risk 

[IMOmimey]

Hi, really NOT a good idea, I should leave it to the experienced; you would break your heart if you did all this and the chicks, or your hen died! try to push her out of the nest box, several times a day, and once out, offer her some treats, corn/mealworms, whatever is her favourite. Take the beddiing out of that nestbox too, and remove any eggs as soon after they've been laid as possible, so she has nothing to sit on. This should break her of being broody  after about a week, or less if she isnt too determined. 

Good luck

[Poolfield2]

I really don't understand why hens do this, going broody at minus temperatures is borderline suicidal.

I have a hen that moulted at the beginning of December, fortunately she grew back feathers quickly but why would nature tell a bird to moult or brood in winter?

[Aunt Sally]

They are not natives of this country and evolution has not caught up yet.  The still (genetically) think that they live in tropical forests.

[joyfull]

My cuckoo maran (a cou-cou maran is a cuckoo maran cross) tends to go broody every few months so don't worry she will go broody again when the weather and time is right. Mine became mum to 6 silkie bantam crosses and made a very good job of it but it was in May.
It would be best if you don't separate her from the rest of the flock though as you may have problems reintegrating her unless she is in a cage in full view of the others (I use a large mesh dog cage during the day - so she can move around and put her back into the coup at night). After hatching she would become very protective of her young so removing them unless she is ill or there is an emergency wouldn't seem to be the right thing to do.

[lisa80]

thanks for all your advice ! will continue to keep turfing her out hubby doesnt think shes suffering any ill effects as i did read marans have the tendancy to over eat ,im sure this is true with our 2 as there both very greedy and i did notice how plump they both were a few weeks ago.hopefully she will come out of this soon and will wait til warmer weather to hatch

[Poolfield2]

They are not natives of this country and evolution has not caught up yet.  The still (genetically) think that they live in tropical forests.

Thanks Auntie, I knew there had to be a sensible reason