Broody hen

[DianaB]

I have two Bantam Silkie hens aged 6 months. They have been laying eggs regularly for about the past month. One of the hens regularly escapes to next door where there is a cockerel. The other hen has now started brooding on the eggs and is not coming out of the nesting box. Does anyone think she may be waiting for a fertilised egg to hatch, even though it will be the other hens egg? Will she come off the nest to eat and drink? Every time I check on her she doesn’t seem to have moved.

 

[dinosaw]

Silkies are notorious and fanatical broodies so you will be seeing this behaviour a lot from now on. Unless you actually want to hatch some chicks the best thing you can do for her is to break her out of her broodiness. We normally put hens in a mesh cage outdoors (but sheltered), raised off the floor so that air can circulate to cool the hen down, but different people like different methods. The following article should hopefully prove helpful.

https://poultrykeeper.com/keeping-chickens-faq/how-can-i-stop-a-hen-from-being-broody/

 

[Marigold]

That’s a helpful article but it misses out one factor which also helps - light. If the hen is allowed to stay in a dark cosy nest box, or cage, her hormones will go on driving her deeper into broodiness, but if she is exposed to as much light as possible, out of doors, her hormones will begin to return to normal. Putting a hen in a mesh cage is OK at night, for the reasons states, but if you can give her a small run where she has full daylight, and can also
stalk around indignantly and get some exercise, she will get better much faster. With experience of a particular hen, you will learn to see the first signs that she is going broody yet again, and can begin the process of breaking her out of it sooner.
When you think she is better, give it another 24 hours and then return her to the flock. Watch to see if she goes back into the nest box before normal roosting time. If she stays out with the others she is better. If she goes in, separate her again.

 

[DianaB]

Thank you for your reply. Both hens have free access to light and garden space. It has been out of character for this particular hen to stay in the nesting box. I am going to lift her out today to see if that helps.

 

[Marigold]

You will have to actually shut her off from any access to the nest box, or to any other comfy space where she can sit down. She will need to be penned in a bare area, or just grass, where she can see the others but not join them, with food and water, and with cover if there’s a chance of rain on her soft feathers. You need to put her under a certain amount of mild stress, so she comes to feel that conditions aren’t suitable for having a family - especially in November, at only 6 months old!
With Silkies, this will keep happening, so it’s worth getting set up to deal with it at the first signs. If you just leave her in the nest box, she will go deeper and deeper into broodiness, will lose weight and condition, and ultimately her health will be badly affected. Gamekeepers used to keep a flock of Silkies in the days before electric incubators were invented, because they were so very reliable as broody sitters for pheasant eggs. So you can see what you’re up against!

 

[Margaid]

If you have never done it before it is really hard to do because you'll probably feel you're being cruel. You're not, you're doing the best thing for the hen.
I had an Exchequer Leghorn that went broody and she used to throw herself against the wire of the enclosure where she'd been "isolated" trying to get back to the hen house which was distressing to watch. When I let her back into the main run because I was upset by this she went straight back to the nest box.
I just had to harden my heart, which isn't easy to do but saves a lot of anguish in the long run.

 

[dinosaw]

There are stories of Silkies sitting for MONTHS on unfertilised eggs, until they are deaths door effectively. So definitely best to get into the habit of putting them into a broody cage at the first sign, you will be doing it quite often during the summer months. Worth saying that the longer you let them sit, the longer it takes to break them out of it.

 

[DianaB]

Yes it seems like I will have to be cruel to be kind. I have lifted her out and removed the eggs but she has gone straight back into the nesting box.

 

[Marigold]

You have to put her in a space where she has no access to the coop at all, night or day, and as described above. The weather is mild at the moment and she won’t come to any harm being left under cover in a dry place in a cage or small enclosure overnight, without bedding, as described by dinosaw, and penned separately during the day, well away from the coop and with nowhere to snuggle down. Because Silkies are not very waterproof, you should provide somewhere she can get shelter if it rains, but do not worry about her feeling cold. This is actually part of the treatment. If she is allowed to snuggle down and get her tummy warm, her broody hormones will make her start shedding feathers on her chest until it becomes bald. This is called a brood patch, and broody hens use this to cover their eggs and young chicks to keep them warm. Everything you need to do now is aimed at preventing her from getting to that stage, or getting her out of it if she has already started to lose feathers.
It really is in her best interest to steel yourself and do what may feel quite cruel, but if you don’t act decisively now, she will end up in trouble in a week or so. And the other Silkie may decide to join her - broodiness can be catching!
This process may take at least a week, or even more with a determined hen who hasn’t been caught at the first sign. It won’t resolve itself overnight!

 

[Marigold]

And BTW, it will be good if you can block up any holes in your fencing, as your other silkie is getting through to next door. It’s not so much that a hen can get out, as the fact that a predator could easily get in, with potentially devastating results. Have a look in the Pests and Predators section, for some harrowing tales of unexpected fox attacks.

 

[DianaB]

I am now lifting my broody hen out of the nesting box and blocking her access to it throughout the door. She is eating but I haven’t seen her drinking yet. She is tending to nestle down in any spot that looks good. I am concerned that her top comb looks dull and limp. Is that a sign of dehydration? Water is accessible for her. I have been blocking the access to next doors cockerel for my other hen. She is not showing any signs of getting broody yet.

 

[Marigold]

That’s good. I expect her comb looks a bit limp because she has been sitting in the nest box for a while without wanting to come out to eat and drink normally. She should get over it if you can stick to the treatment and help her to get back to normal. It’s good that she is eating OK and I expect she’s drinking as well, just when you’re not looking. In cooler temperatures I’ve found that my hens drink quite a bit less than in the summer.
Nestling down wherever she can is characteristic of a broody hen, which is why she needs to live on a cool, bare, uncomfortable surface to prevent her doing this, for a while. You said you’ve been lifting her out of the nest box - how did she get in there? What are you doing with her overnight?
Do you just have the two bantams? And have you ever had experience of hens going broody before? It’s a bit of a nuisance, but next time you’ll be prepared at the first signs!

 

[DianaB]

I am new to hen keeping and just have the two bantams. I open the coop door every morning to let them out and physically lift the broody one out and then shut the coop door. I open the coop door and they both go back in when the daylight fades. I don’t have any concreted areas where they are so my broody hen will just settle down under the coop which is elevated. At least she is eating now and hopefully drinking. Do you think this is likely to go on throughout winter?

 

[Marigold]

Yes, I think it will go on indefinitely unless you can remove her from the coop overnight, as well as shutting her out in the day. Mine go to roost soon after 4-30 at the moment, hens always roost at sunset, and get up around 7.00, so they are roosting in darkness for over 14 hours. By the middle of December, this will become up to 16 hours. Your broody will make no progress out of her hormonal state if you just lift her out of a comfy nest box for the few remaining hours of what passes as daylight in midwinter.
If you don’t have anything that could safely become a spare overnight shelter for her out of doors, another way could be to put her in a dog crate, rabbit hutch, or even a cardboard box and put this in a shed or garage, somewhere unheated and airy. Line it with newspaper to catch the droppings, but no bedding, just the flat floor. No food or water is needed whilst she is roosting. Get her up as early as you can to rejoin her friend in the open air so she gets as much light as possible.
At this time of year, you are up against it with providing enough light, although most hens come out of the breeding season when the days get shorter. One idea would be to move her into a cage with a mesh top, in a garage etc with an overhead light left on all the time, as if it was midsummer. This might shift her hormones - might be worth a try - what do other people on here think? Anyone else had a November teenage mum to deal with?

The only other option to making a really determined attempt to get her out of broodiness is just to carry on as you are doing, making her come out as much as possible during the day. This would help her, making sure she is eating sensibly and not getting any broodier, but whatever you do, the situation is pretty certain to happen over and over, and with both of them next year- that’s what Silkies are like!
She sounds quite a character! We would love a photo of her and her friend if you have any.

 

[Marigold]

By the way, is the other one laying? If so, how is she managing to get in the coop if you’ve shut it during the day?
It’s a bit hard on her to be separated from her friend at night, I’m afraid. One of the problems of only having two of them - they are flock birds and don’t like being on their own. The stress this causes is part of the treatment for the broody, but a bit lonely for the other one.