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Chicken keepers

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Original poster

Broody hen help!

12 replies

mrsjoshholloway · 13/03/2009 12:51

One of our bantams is sitting on 3 eggs (at last count) and has been since last Saturday. I am beside myself with excitement

Anyway the problem is she only comes off the eggs once or twice a day that I've seen to get someting to eat and drink, but when she does the other 3 totally tear into her, really go for her and chase her back inside. Am wondering why on earth they would do this? They've all lived together since they were little so it's not as if they don't know her. They are being so vicious I wonder if I should separate her.

Am very concerned about her as obviously I am hoping to be a granny and want everything to go well!

Anyone been through this and have any advice?

OP posts:

FlyMeToDunoon · 13/03/2009 19:09

bump

cluttercup · 13/03/2009 19:12

I separated my broody from her "friends" last year and put her in an ark with her eggs. Like you said - she came off her eggs once a day, ate, drank and did a humongous poo and was a brilliant mummy when they hatched!

Original poster

mrsjoshholloway · 13/03/2009 20:30

Think I'm going to have to move her. Hubby thinks we can put up a sort of partition in hen house to separate them just now. I hate seeing them attacking her as she is only little (but has always been at the bottom of the pecking order)

Can't wait to see if there are any chicks

OP posts:

Original poster

mrsjoshholloway · 13/03/2009 20:32

Cluttercup ... How did your hen get on after the chicks were hatched? Did you put her and the chicks back in with the others?

OP posts:

cluttercup · 14/03/2009 16:13

No - I kept them separate. The idea was for us to keep the females and the males would go to a friends for breeding. When the chicks were big enough, I planned to place them back with the others.

We ended up with five chicks - four males and one female. We couldn't keep the males and didn't feel it was fair to keep just one female chick on her own - we felt it would have been too vulnerable. So the lone female was given to another chicken-keeping friend and was placed with two other chicks.

Ironically we ended up keeping none, but I'm sure you'll do better!

Original poster

mrsjoshholloway · 15/03/2009 11:37

Hmmm, thanks cluttercup, really hope we don't get all males. Our little cockerel has enough testosterone without adding any more! Hopefully if we get 2 or more girlies we can put them all together again eventually.

BUT... have just ordered a couple of new hens (arriving in a couple of weeks) just to complicate matters. DH is bemused at my hen obsession but hey it's cheaper and less painful than more children

OP posts:

Blottedcopybook · 15/03/2009 15:54

You really don't want your wee hen and her chicks to be sharing the same space as your layers, the chicks will not be treated well by the other hens and could end up being killed. If your other hens are like this to your broody then it doesn't really bode well. Can you beg/borrow/steal another coop & run until they're ready to leave Mum?

ABetaDad · 15/03/2009 16:02

Make sure she is sitting on fertile eggs. If not try and get some from somewhere. Also make sure she is in her own coop separate form other hens and that she eats and drinks. Some broody hens starve and dehydrate themselves to death.

Enjoy the chicks.

Original poster

mrsjoshholloway · 16/03/2009 14:11

We have put up a partition in their hen house , so that they can all have their own space. Fortunately dh built a big hen house and we have 2 runs and 2 doors. Will be very careful if and when we decide to bring them back together.

ABetaDad, am hoping the eggs are fertile and have been making sure she comes out once a day for a drink and some food.

OP posts:

Blottedcopybook · 16/03/2009 15:07

Have you candled them? How long has she been sitting on them?

Original poster

mrsjoshholloway · 16/03/2009 18:33

No haven't candled them. Not sure whether to bother as if there are no chicks I guess we will know in a couple of weeks. She's been sitting on the oldest one for 9 days now so probably too late? She laid a couple after that though so they are younger.

OOOhhh dunno, might have to have a go tomorrow.

OP posts:

Blottedcopybook · 16/03/2009 20:16

Nah you really need to know if they're going to hatch - a broody won't just stop sitting because her eggs haven't hatched and you'll possibly already have noticed a marked deterioration in her physical condition. You can candle at pretty much any stage after the first couple of days - if you do a google image search it'll give you a good idea what you're looking for. If her eggs are infertile you might want to look into getting day old chicks from somewhere to do an exchange when she's off the nest having a feed and drink.

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