[jeannie]

One of my chicken a Welsummer has been broody a few weeks and I realize now I have made her to comfy but will it be alright if I now start putting her back with the other four at night.  I am quite prepared to let nature takes it course but quite miss her nice brown eggs! Advice please.

[ANHBUC]

Welcome to the world of hens.

There is some good advice on this link http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=77819.0

Hope it is of some help to you.

I wouldn't mind a broody hen as I would love to raise chicks.  I have also been considering getting a couple of Welsummers, what qualities do you find they have.

[orchardlady]

Unless you want her to hatch some eggs it's best to break her of her broodieness. As the previous post mentioned the advice I gave there is the best way I've found to do it. The problem of letting her stay in the hen house being broodie with no hope of ever actually hatching any viable eggs is that 1. She will put the other birds off laying. 2. She is taking up a nest box and can be really not good company i.e. very grumpy and can pick a fight with a feather. 3. It's plain not good for her. Broodie hens tend to go into a trance like state during the long hours of sitting and reduce their food and water intake very dramatically, sometimes even to the point of starvation. If you can break her of her broodieness she will return to eating and drinking a decent hen portion and will soon enough resume laying. Hope this makes sense and is of help.

Orchardlady.

[jeannie]

Thanks for the help. I am  pleased to say after I decided last night to put her back on the perch in the hen house Summer seems to have turned a corner.  She spent all day scratching around the garden with my other hens.  But when I went to lock them up guess what? Daft girl was sitting on an egg in one of the nesting boxes in the hen house (not one of her own eggs I hasten to add). Anyway she is now on the perch again quite happily.  I hope a little night air will cool her down!

In reply to the q;uery about Welsummers she is the first I have had.  She is a very elegant bird with a golden look about her long neck and lays beautiful brown eggs.  I think they are also able to fly quite high if pushed.  She has twice  proved this ability when pushed first by a strange dog and then by me separating her from the gang. 

I will go on reading these pages with interest - its a real support to know there is genuine help out there
for poultry problems.  Isn't the internet brilliant.

[ANHBUC]

Thanks for that information Jeannie.  I am used to good flyers as my Black Rocks and Bovan Goldlines have had plenty of practice.