no chicks for broody hen

[shez]

I have had chickens for approx 1 year now but they are ex battery hens so none went broody. 27 days ago we bought Lulu a broody hen and put her on a nest with some eggs from the cheicken farm and over some of our eggs we have 1 cockrell to 5 hens. After 26 nail biting days we finally saw a dead chick under her today and nothing from the other eggs just an awful smell as we stopped lifting her after the 18th day to eat and poop and just left the food and drink in close proximity to the nest. Is this where we went wrong? Am so sad and she still has a real determined look on her face and wont leave the nest. 2 days ago we bought 4 2 week old chicks and thought that may help her to mother them and come off the nest.... but no joy she just wants to sit and sit! Tomorrow I have 12 new fertile eggs being delivered in the hope that she can sit on these eggs and finally get the chicks she (and I ) so want. But I just want to know if this is cruel? We lifted her off today for a good half an hour whilst cleaning out the nest and bless her she had a good dust bath and ate loads of corn and layers and had a good drink. Can she still sit for another 21 days after tomorrow to hatch the next lot or should I give up...... Please help as I have never done this before and just want to do the right thing
Many thanks xxxx

 

[snifter]

Personally I'd not let her sit another 21 days after sitting already for over 3 weeks. She hasn't been eating or drinking much, the bare minimum in fact and her body needs time to recover and bounce back before sitting again. Also sitting that long she runs the risk of mites or lice and also possibly other problems. She'll be thin and by now she should be eating again and gaining back what she has lost. Also she may well moult and she needs all the help she can get from a good diet when this happens.

I'd take her off the nest, put her back with the other hens and shut her out of the nest box and from sitting. Be tough about it and ensure she can't sit. Eventually off the nest she should get the idea. The chances are the chicks you bought were too old and she didn't feel any attachment to them. They really need to be newly hatched but I'd not get anymore as otherwise you'll be stuck with chicks of all ages and chances are she won't take to them anyways.

Of course, somone else might come along and say let her sit for another 21 days. But personally, I'd consider her well being which may not stand up to another 21 days of sitting. At least off the nest she will feed again and chances are will join in with the flock once she has had enough time off the nest.

 

[shez]

Thanks so much for the info. I never realised chickens could be so addictive!!! She has been eating loads of corn each day when she gets off the nest and it's difficult as we bought her as a broody hen so will have to introduce her to the other chickens who fronted up at her today when we kept her off the nest for a good while to eat etc so we had to separate them. I may well seperate the run into two as we have 2 Chicken houses for them to sleep and let her get her strength back then in a few months when the 4 chicks we bought get a bit bigger introduce them all together?? Do you think this would be best?? I never thought I would be such a lover of chickens!!!! xx lulu is a really old hen apparently and the breeder we bought her from said she is broody most of the time! I just want her to have chicks bless her!! xx

 

[ncotb]

Personally, I would try to break her too, agree with Snifters advice.

Yes, I would separate the run & do as you said when the chicks are bigger introduce them together. good luck

 

[girlracer265]

Personally i would buy a couple of day old chicks and pop them under her at night and remove the eggs, and see if that works first but you would have to make sure it was definitely day olds

 

[snifter]

Re the above, if you do this ensure you are around after doing this in case the hen attacks the chicks. This does happen and often a hen won't accept chicks to her, but some do. But be prepared to remove them should she peck them and try to harm them. And have a set up that you can keep those chicks apart from the older ones you tried with her as the young ones may well get pecked and picked on by your older chicks. They are a couple of weeks old now so much bigger and stronger.

 

[Tim]

You normally only have 24 hours to 48 hours for chick and mum to 'key' after this, they won't come together as you found out with the older chicks.

As already said, sometimes they will get pecked - having the right colour chicks seems to help. I tried white orpington chicks under black hens and they rejected them so I then tried black marans chicks under her and she accepted them..

I agree it is not fair to keep her sitting, she will have lost a lot of condition by now. It is unlikely she would sit that long anyway.

Tim

 

[shez]

Thanks so much for all the advice. This is my first time on this site and I love it! I took her off the nest and cleaned it out and while my back was turned she climbed on another nest and just sat looking at me. When she comes off she walks around has a dust bath and seriously eats and drinks loads. I don't know what to do? Is it cruel to stop her sitting? Sorry am really new to this! But I love it my whole family thinks I have gone chicken mad! She is back on her nest sat on more eggs I have no idea how to stop her she is a real determined old bird!

 

[Davidd]

hi, try locking her out of the coop during the day- or put her in a separate run with no nest box - or a wire bottomed cage for a few days- make sure she has plenty of food /water. Let us know how she goes.
regards David

 

[snifter]

Ditto davidd about how to prevent her sitting on the nest. It requires some tough love. Its not at all cruel after all this time. Her body cannot really survive properly on corn and she needs more in her diet now.

Its really not advisable to let her sit another 3 weeks. Her condition now will be poor having sat 26 days plus already and she really needs to be made to snap out of it at least for a while. Eating and drinking only once a day for another 3 weeks plus won't be good for her. Also as Tim has said, there is no guarantee she'll sit another 3 weeks anyways. She will most likely give up well before the hatching date as instinct will kick in and she'll have to feed more and drink. And you'll be left with no hen to sit on eggs.

 

[shez]

Just wanted to say a big thankyou to everyone for the advice. The best thing has happened now tho.... Loulou has fallen in love with the chicks that we put in with her even tho they were old. She shouts to them when she finds sweetcorn so they can eat it. They sleep with her snuggled into her and when I went to check them today one was actually having a piggy back ride on her back!! It is so cute!! She looks alot better too her comb is red again as it went quite pale we even put 2 more chicks in yesterday about the same age as the 4 we put in last week and no bother at all so now with loulou and her 6 adopted chicks when we reintroduce them it should be fine as safety in numbers. Now the wait to see what sex they are and just hoping they are hens. Any tips how to tell??? They are so funny to watch thanks again!
Sheryl xx

 

[Tim]

Great to hear of the happy ending!

It is difficult to sex chicks at an early age but as they get older, you will see combs and wattles developping on the boys.