broody hen?

[AmericanMom]

Sorted, one caged hen

Oh wow.. I like that set up!! and she can get up and move around and get food and water and stretch her legs?? We have a 4 foot by 4 foot box with lid we made from chicken wire, we built a trap door in the front that we could close up at night making her secure from preds.. We also fenced her a little area all to herself, she was next to the coop but had the freedom to get up and scratch around, take a dust bath etc without fear of another hen stealing her spot.. But I really like the closet idea too!!

 

[MyPetNugget]

X2! I really like the door and the way you did the wire.

Hoping you'll have lots of cute chickies and keep us posted!

 

[waynem1983]

For the moment, this is only a temporary measure to stop the other 2 sleeping in the nice warm nest, the wire comes off at 7am and back on at around 8:30pm.

Another few days and my larger coop will be complete, I will then put a wire screen over the door and this will be the broody home till the chicks are big enough to join the big birds.

on a side note, how long is acceptable for the broody to leave the nest to do her ablutions? She gets off approx twice a day for a drink, food and quick dust bath, usually around 20 mins or so each time. I would assume this is normal, given all animals need to eat and poop now and again.

 

[waynem1983]

I have just returned from holiday and had a neighbour looking after the birds.

My one broody's clutch is due to hatch on Friday and had planned on separating her from the other 2 birds today.

However, my other BO has gone broody and is sat next to the other bird in the nest and has stolen some eggs from her.

Should I leave her to sit, or take her off, give eggs back to original broody hen and separate as planned?

 

[CherMoz]

I would give the eggs back to the original broody hen. She has worked hard to get them hatched.

The other hen will need to have her own spot, or, if she has not been broody long, you can try to break her of being broody. Here is some interesting reading on that by Harvey Ussery:
Breaking Up a Broody Hen

As said, a good broody wants to work. Indeed, some broodies will set a second, or even a third, clutch of eggs in a season. But her willingness to do so may outstrip your need for chicks. Hens who go broody after you have closed the breeding season must be “broken up”—i.e., must be gotten out of the mood to incubate. Actually, management of a determined broody you want to return to productive work in the laying flock is much like management of a broody you are going to set: Isolate her from the rest of the flock, with feed and water, but in this case without a shred of nesting material. My broody boxes have a wire floor—if I take the nest box out, there is nothing suggestive of nesting. I usually leave the broody in the bare box until she lays an egg, signaling the end of broodiness, then return her to the laying flock.
Another way to break up a broody hen is to isolate her with a vigorous young cock, whose undivided “attentions” will disrupt her urge to brood.

For entire article and more by Mr. Ussery, here is his website: http://www.themodernhomestead.us/article/Home.html
I ended up getting his book because he has so much useful information.

 

[waynem1983]

Thanks for the reply. I had pretty much already decided to do this. I just got back to find the newly broody hen(olive) had booted out the original broody ( rosy) from the nest. And of the 3 eggs she took, 1 of them was an almost full grown chick, egg smashed and dead. 1 was a fertile egg, now stone cold. The other was just a laid egg from one of the other girls.

I hhave now removed her from the nest, put her into the new coop alone, put rosy back on the nest and put the cold egg back under her in hope and isolated the little shed for her alone.

I only have myself to blame for this, I knew I should have done this last week before I left. Live and learn I guess, shame it has to have such consequences.

 

[CherMoz]

Good luck with the remaining egg.

 

[waynem1983]

Thanks, I actually have 5 more, including the cold one. If the damaged egg is anythiñg to go by, we stand a good chance of having some babies in the next day or 2.

 

[CherMoz]

 

[waynem1983]

I hear peeps and chirps! And multiple peeps and chirps at that. Looks like I have 2 at least, nice and loud.

Should I be lifting her slightly at all to check on them? Or just give her a day to do her thing?